Mistakes
by super.nerd49
Summary: Maria- When Maria returns home after four years away, she's welcomed with open arms. But when she meets a certain group of orphans... Scipio- It's been two years since the merry-go-round didn't work... full summary inside. T just to be safe. Scipxoc
1. Chapter One

**Summary:**_ Maria- When Maria returns home after four years away, she's welcomed with open arms. But, when she meets a certain group of orphans, her "perfect" summer will be changed drastically, and she's unsure if it's for better or worse.  
>Scipio- It's been two years since the merry-go-round didn't work, two years since his friends found out his secret. They've forgiven him, for the most part, after "the break-in", and are back at the <em>Stella_. But, when a certain someone comes to Venice, their lives are turned upside-down. Rated T just to be safe. ScipxOC_

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own _Thief Lord_ or any of its characters. It is all the property of the wonderful Corneilia Funke. I am not, in any way, making any money off of this fanfic. I am only bringing joy to my readers... I hope. :P**

Mistakes

_Maria_

I stepped out of the airport after a very long flight, relishing the feeling of fresh air on my skin. I looked around for my ride, which, knowing my parents, would be elegant.

I spotted the limo, _'classy, mum.'_ and picked up my guitar case in my left hand, my suitcase in my right and shrugged my backpack further onto my shoulder.

"Miss," the driver said, nodding to me and taking my suitcase.

"Good morning." I replied, smiling, hearing my Italian accent coming back. He put my suitcase in the trunk and opened the door of the limo for me. "Thank you." I said, climbing in. I put my guitar at my feet and placed my backpack next to it.

"Maria!" someone screeched. I felt a pair of small arms latch around my neck.

"Hey, Katerina." I said, hugging my little sister back. She sat back, grinning like a fool. We shared the same looks, long blonde hair and blue eyes.

"How was England, _sorella_?" she asked.

"_S__tupefacente_, it was awesome." I hugged her again. "I've missed you so much, though. I think mum and dad are sending you there, as well, for high school. You'll have so much fun." I smiled. "How's everything been here?" I asked.

"_Bene_, I got a new kitten!" the eight year-old said excitedly. She began to go on about her kitten, Carota, meaning carrot, which was bright orange, hence the name.

We talked all the way to our house, in the heart of Venice, Italy. Home.

I should start with a bit about me. My name is Maria Vargo. I'm eighteen years old and have been going to a very exclusive private high school in England for the last four years. I have a little sister, Katerina, sometimes known as Kat, who is eight, and my brother Marco, who is sixteen.

I'm average looking, straight, long blonde hair and about five foot eight. The only non-average thing about my family is our electric blue eyes with flecks of silver, a very old and proud family trait.

We pulled up to the house and were met by mum, dad and Marco, behind them, the staff.

I climbed out of the limo and smiled at the sight of the mansion, then hugged my mother, father and brother, who tried to seem like he hadn't missed me. The staff each nodded at me, then returned to their previous work.

Oh, yeah. Did I mention that my parents are rich?

**A/N: So, this is my first fanfic, I hope you all enjoy. This is sort of a prologue, I guess, I'm sorry it's so short, but longer chapters will be coming soon. Constructive critisim is always appreciated, so let me know you're thoughts. As they say, R&R, if you'd like.**

**Cheers!**

**Translations** (Italian-English):  
><em>sorella- sister<br>stupefacente- amazing  
>bene- good<br>carota- carrot_


	2. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer: I still DON'T own _Thief Lord._ Anyone who says otherwise is w-r-o-n-g. I don't own it! Right Scip?  
>Scipio: Uhhh... yeah?<br>Disclaimer: Thank you for that very point-proving answer. *rolls eyes*  
><strong>

_Scipio_

I stared out my bedroom window at the scene in front of me. Bright sunlight, blue sky, barley a cloud, a day I would much rather be with Prop, Hornet, Bo and the rest of the gang. But, here I was, stuck doing lessons from my uncle.

It had been two years since the merry-go-round didn't work, two years since the gang at the _Stella_ had found out my secret, who their beloved Thief Lord was. Who I was.

I sighed.

They had finally forgiven me, after I tried to help them get their money back. "The Break-In", as we call it. Since the Conte scammed them with fake lire, he knew we'd try to get it back. Even though I failed to retrieve the money, they thought better of me after that. I did manage to "steal" enough to help them along.

"Scipio!" my father yelled from downstairs. "Get down here!" I rolled my eyes and stood up, stretched and walked down the long staircase and into his study.

He was nearly glaring at me as I entered the room.

"Yes, father?" I asked politely, trying to keep the spite out of my voice. My father and I were alike in looks and height, but I was, and would never be, in any way like him.

"Get cleaned up, your lessons are finished for the day. I'm having important guests tonight for dinner and I expect you to stay out of the way. I need to pitch a deal with them, and you're to be gone before and after the meal." he said, turning away from me, speaking to the wall. "Understood?"

"Yes, father." I left the room then, knowing if I stayed longer, he'd grow angry with me. I'd head to the _Stella_ after, keeping "out of the way". Reentering my room, I fell onto my bed on my back, staring at the ceiling.

The only reason I put up with my father and his hatred towards me was to help Prop, Bo, Hornet, Mosca and Ricco. Bo still thought me a hero, even after I lied to them. I stole from the mansion to help them stay afloat, and, after meeting my father, they realized how much I was doing for them.

I had a sense Ricco and Mosca were never going to fully forgive me, though, and Prosper hadn't yet, I was sure. They glared at me every time I came to the _Stella_, and smiled when they saw my back heading out the door.

An hour later, I walked back downstairs, wearing a white dress shirt and black pants and shoes, my dark hair tastefully mussed. I joined my father at the door, standing two steps behind him, waiting for whoever was coming.

_Maria_

"Mum," I said, hugging my mother and father again. "Dad."

"Maria, _tesoro._" My mother was beaming at me. "How was school?"

"Fantastic, mum." I put an arm up and around Marco's shoulders, giving him a one-armed hug. "How was your school?" I asked him, ruffling his hair. He swatted my hand away and tried to push me off of him, but it soon turned into a mini wrestling match. Kat was standing near, egging us on, while our parents shook their heads and walked inside, leaving us in the front yard.

"Mar! Stop it! Getoffme!" he yelled at me. I ignored him and persisted. He finally picked me up over his shoulder to get me to stop tackling him.

"Hey! Who got some muscle here?" I laughed as he set me down. "Did a certain someone cause that? Are you hot under the collar for a special person?" I asked, accidentally using the British term.

"Hot under the collar?" Marco asked, questioning my sanity.

"He's got a girlfriend from school." Kat said simply, answering my question.

I raised an eyebrow. "Alright. One," I looked at Marco. "I've been living as a Brit for the past four years, cut me some slack, and two," I looked at Kat, then at Marco again. "Who is she?" I elbowed him in the stomach, then picked up my guitar and backpack. Kat took my suitcase for me. The rest of my things from high school had come earlier.

"No one." he said, studying his shoes as we walking inside.

"Fine. But, as I am your older sister, I _will_ find out who she is, understand?" I asked, looking up at him. Even though I was two years older than him, he was two inches taller than me, and still growing.

"I'm scared." he said sarcastically. "Oh, and Mar?" he added as I took my suitcase from Kat and began walking up the stairs.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"We're going out to dinner tonight. Dad's trying to pitch some business deal. We're supposed to wear something nice." Then, he walked away.

Later that night, I met Marco and Kat on the landing of the second floor. I was almost as tall as Marco now, in my new, black, two-inch heels.

I was wearing a black, strapless dress that fell just above my knees with diamonds encrusted into it. I was also wearing my crystal necklace and earrings , and my hair was twisted up into a black, metallic hair clip with diamonds set into it. The rest of my hair fell to the right side of it and over my right shoulder.

Kat was wearing a simpler black dress, which fell just below her knees, black ballet flats and her blonde hair was in ringlets around her head. Marco had chosen simple, with a silver dress shirt and black dress pants and shoes.

We met with mum and dad at the bottom of the stairs and then proceeded to the dinner, wherever it was.

_Scipio_

The door swung open and my father greeted a man in a suit similar to his, and the man's wife, who was wearing a black dress. Behind them were three others, a girl who seemed to be my age, a boy the same height as me, but seemed younger, and a little girl.

"My son, Scipio." I heard my father introduce. The man extended his hand and I shook it, then his wife's.

"My eldest daughter, Maria, my son, Marco, and my youngest daughter, Katerina." the man said, introducing his children.

"Scipio, show them around the grounds." my father snapped. I nodded and gestured for the three of them to follow me. The eldest girl, Maria, took her little sister's hand and followed me, their brother following slowly.

When we were out of earshot of the adults, I stopped to formerly introduce myself. "Scipio Massimo." I said, extending my hand.

Maria took it. "Maria Vargo." Her eyes met mine and she studied me for a moment. Then, she proceeded to introduce her siblings. "This is Katerina, usually known as Kat, and the one sulking over there is Marco. Katertina beamed at me while Maria put an arm around Marco. "He's in that awkward age that we all go through." She ruffled his hair and he pushed her away.

Her accent was reminding me slightly of Prosper and Bo's accents. We were walking again, I realized, and were now in the grounds.

"Are you British?" I asked. She smiled.

"No, I'm Italian. I've been studying in Britain for the past four years and have picked up an accent." She smiled. "I haven't been able to visit Venice for the longest time. I've missed it." She looked around the grounds, sighing.

"I couldn't imagine not being here." I said, agreeing. Katerina was hovering around us, so I knelt down in front of her. "So, how old are you?" I asked.

"I'm eight and a half." she said proudly, reminding me of Bo. _'I'm six and a quarter.'_, like he always used to say. "Marco's sixteen and Maria's eighteen." she informed me, making Marco roll his eyes.

"Eight and a half is a good age to be. For me, that was ten years ago." I said, letting her do the math.

"So... you're eighteen too?" she asked, pushing a piece of hair out of her face. I noticed Marco say something to Maria, who shook her head and otherwise ignored him.

"Yes, I am." I saw movement at the doorway and looked up to see one of the maids watching us.

"Your father wishes your attendance." she said, then left with a curt nod from me.

"Follow me." I said, standing and offering Maria my arm. She took it with a raised eyebrow from Marco. Katerina and Marco followed behind us, Kat telling Marco random facts, Marco all but listening to her.

We reached the dining room to find that the table had been shrunk down to seat seven. My father sat at the head of the table, Maria's father to his right, Mrs. Vargo to my father's left. I sat next to Maria's father, Marco beside me, Maria across from me and Kat to her left.

We were brought food and my father began talking with Maria's father about business. Her mother said nothing, as did we. I was surprised at eight year old Katerina's table manners, however. Her's rivalled Maria's.

Finally, we were dismissed. Marco took Katerina home, as she needed to go to sleep, and Maria and I returned to the gardens, allowing the adults to talk. Maria sat down on the edge of the fountain and I sat next to her. We were silent for a moment.

"I'm getting the sense that the relationship between you and your father isn't one of father and son." she said suddenly, catching me off guard. She was watching me out of the corner of her eye, waiting for my answer.

"No, it's not. More like a business owner and investment." I said.

"He thinks of you as an investment?" she asked, turning to me.

"When my parents split, my father fought and paid a good sum of money for custody. After my mother was gone, I began fending for myself, as my father couldn't care less about what happened to me. About two years ago, he gave my uncle control of, well, basically my whole life, but he didn't care much about me either." I said, sighing.

Maria was quiet for a moment. She probably didn't know what to say to that. I had just given my whole, horrible life story to a near stranger, which was a lot to take in. "That's horrible." she said finally, and I saw concern in her eyes, something I had missed for most of my life.

Again, we sat in silence for a while, and I saw Maria shiver.

"Cold?" I asked.

"A bit." she said, shrugging.

Just then, a maid entered the garden. "Miss?" Maria looked up. "Your parents are leaving now." she said. Maria nodded and the maid left with a pointed look at me.

"I'll be seeing you, I guess." I said as both Maria and I stood.

"Yes," she said.

I took her hand and raised it to my lips, kissing it gently in farewell. She froze for half a second, then smiled. We walked inside, and I watched the three Vargo's leave the mansion.

**A/N: There, Scip's finally in it. And, I told you it would be a longer chapter! Ha! Anyone who didn't believe me is wrong! Hope you liked it! I'm going to upload the next chapter tomorrow, I hope, so please be patient. I'm going to make sure I have it all done, so... yeah. R&R if you'd like. Wait... I guess you already read, unless you skipped down to the authours note, but I mean, seriously, who skips the story to read the authour's note?**

**Cheers!**

**Translations **(Italian-English):  
><em>tesoro- darling<em>


	3. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer: Since Scipio can't prove the point that I DON'T own _Thief Lord _*Scip rolls his eyes*, I have much better back-up with me. Right Kat?**

**Katerina: Right. You don't own _Thief Lord_, only me, Marco and Maria, 'cause you made us up out of your own head.**

**Disclaimer: And your mom and dad.**

**Katerina: Oh, and mum and dad too. You made them up as well.**

**Disclaimer: There you have it. The much more convincing argument from Katerina Vargo. And now for the story.**

_Scipio_

I fell onto my bed, on my back, and hit my forehead with my palm. _'Damn. That was too forward.'_ I thought. Maria had been shocked, who wouldn't? We had just met! _'Stupid, I'm such an idiot. She's going to avoid me now. Great...'_ I sat up as my thoughts mixed with feelings for Maria. Sure, she was pretty, scratch that, gorgeous, but she was also smart, witty, kind and all around fricking amazing. _'You're so stupid, Scipio!'_ I scolded myself.

After a moment, I sat up. It was now eleven thirty at night and all noise had stopped downstairs. I was free to go where I pleased. Free to clear my head.

I changed, donned my black mask and left my room, disappearing into the night.

_Maria_

_'Oh my God, holy fricking crap.'_ My mind was reeling. Had he really just done that? Kissed my hand? _'Oh, God. What the hell do I do now?'_ That's what most of my thoughts consisted of. But, then I thought about something else. _'That was sweet, actually.'_

The realization hit me fast and hard. _'I like Scipio Massimo.'_ But, I couldn't, could I? I had just met him, I couldn't already be falling for him. My life wasn't one of those cheesy romance novels, with 'love-at-first-sight' and all that crap.

Or was it?

I changed and fell asleep with that thought in my head.

* * *

><p>A week later, Kat, Marco and I visited the canal. We found a bench and sat down, looking around. Then, Kat stole my iPod touch and began playing games on it and Marco pulled out his phone and started texting.<p>

I ignored the two of them and watched as people walked by, watched the sky change, watched as gondolas drifted past. The sky had been clear and bright just that morning, but ominous clouds were coming in quickly, and fewer and fewer people were out on the canal now.

A strange group caught my eye just as it started to rain the tiniest bit. It was a group of teenagers, well, most of them, anyway, who all looked between the ages of fourteen and eighteen. The oldest looking was a boy in a black trench coat and a black mask with a long beak, like doctors wore during the Black Plauge. The youngest was probably about eight, with blonde hair and a large smile on his face.

A group of tourists rushed past, trying to get out of the rain, and I heard a loud splash. When the last tourist was by, I couldn't see the little boy anymore. Connecting the splash and his disappearance, my lifeguard training kicked in.

I kicked off my shoes, ran to the edge and dove into the canal.

The first sensation was freezing cold, followed by the urgency to help the little boy, who was Kat's age. Kat had been swimming for three years and still hadn't managed to master it. I wasn't sure if the little boy had training, and even if he did, the undertow of the canal was almost too strong for me.

I resurfaced and located the hand sticking out of the water. I tried to swim to it, but the current pushed me the wrong way.

I swore and pressed on, watching the small hand drift farther away. His head popped up above the water for a moment and he saw me. He began to try to swim towards me, but only managed to stay in one place.

The storm was here now, causing waves and harder currents. I was worried I wouldn't reach him in time, before he got swept away.

Pressing on, I reached him in about half of a minute. He wrapped his arms around my neck and I began to swim, with him, back to the edge of the canal. When there, I began treading water, lifting him towards the hands that were begin held out to us. But when I grabbed the hand extended to me, I felt myself being dragged back, under the water.

I swore again, letting go of the hand, worried I'd pull them in, and grabbed the side of the canal.

That's when the pain broke through the numbness.

Looking down, I saw what had caused it. A barbed anchor had caught my bare skin and was now pulling me under the water. I couldn't free it, and the water around me was soon blood red. My head went under and I struggled to come back up, but no such luck.

Just before everything went black, I saw another figure enter the water and swim towards me. Then, I lost consciousness.

* * *

><p>I woke up to see a maid standing over me, a worried expression on her face. Looking around, I saw lots of people in the room, all looking relieved. I blinked a few times in the bright light, then slowly sat up. Everyone rushed to my side, warning me to sit up slowly, helping me.<p>

I heeded their warnings and raised myself into a sitting position on the bed I was sitting in. That's when the pain in my leg came back. I winced, but showed no other signs of pain. I looked down at my leg and saw a bright white bandage, stained with tiny spots of red, wrapped around my lower calf.

"Are you alright, Mar?" Kat asked me, sitting down beside me. I leaned back against the wall and sighed.

"I feel fine, Kat. Don't worry." My words were accompanied by a crack of thunder. "It's still raining?" I asked.

"Yes." Marco answered, kneeling down on the floor beside me.

"And how's that little boy who got pushed in? Is he fine?"

"He's fine." a deep voice said from the doorway. I saw the maids rush out of the room from another door and Marco moved Kat off the bed.

I looked up at the person standing in the doorway. He was tall, at least my age, with dark brown, almost black, hair and dark eyes. He wore a mask with a long beak, it was the boy from the canal. A crack of thunder, followed quickly by lightning, illuminated the room, casting an eerie shadow on the boy.

"I think a thank you is in order." he said, standing up from where he was leaning on the door frame.

"For what?" I asked, but then noticed the ends of his hair were wet, and his clothes looked damp.

He was now standing beside me. Marco drew Kat to the other side of the room. "I saved your life." He smirked at my look of astonishment.

"That was you?" I asked, forcing away a blush.

He smiled. "You just had to faint for me, did you? It was much harder carrying dead weight." he said.

I was astounded he would be so rude, in front of my siblings, no less. "Well, next time you save my friend's life, then get dragged under water by a barbed anchor lodged in your leg and not lose consciousness, why don't you?" I asked.

He grinned, knowing he'd touched a nerve, then walked towards the door. He stopped in the door frame again and, without turning to me, he spoke. "I still haven't received a thank you."

I sighed. "Thank you, for saving my life." I said, and with that, he was gone.

A maid returned moments later, shivering. "He's giving everyone the chills, that boy. He didn't hurt you, did he?" I shook my head. "Good. The little boy you saved wants to see you, may I send him up?" she asked. I nodded this time.

A minute later, the blonde boy came into my room, followed by the others who had been in the group, a tall brown haired boy, a short boy with spiky hair, a dark-skinned boy and a girl with long, black hair, pulled back into a braid.

The blonde boy sat on the edge of my bed. "Thank you." he said, smiling.

"You're welcome." I said. "What's your name? I'm Maria, and this is my sister, Katerina-"

"But you can call me Kat." she cut in, smiling.

"Yes, and this is my brother, Marco." I finished. The little boy gave a worried look to the others. "Don't worry, we won't bite." I said. He turned back to me with a nod from the others.

"I'm Bo, this is my brother Prop," he pointed at the tall, brown haired boy. "Hornet," the girl. "This is Ricco," the spiky haired boy. "And Mosca." the dark-skinned one.

"Nice to meet you." I said, making him smile.

"You too. Do you really live here?" Bo asked, looking around the room, amazed.

"Yes, we do. Where are you staying? We could give you a lift back, if you'd like." I said. Again, he looked at the others, and Prop shook his head, looking at me.

"It's alright, thanks. We don't live far away." he promised me.

"Are you sure? You can stay here tonight, if you'd like. It's pouring, from what I hear." As if on cue, the loudest crack of thunder split the room, dominating the silence.

"I'm sure we'll-"

"Come on, Prop. We'll die of a cold out there. Plus, the nice nurse-maid lady said I was to stay warm and dry, so I don't catch a cold. Right, Hornet?" Bo cut off his brother, looking to Hornet for support.

She looked at me uneasily. "It won't be any trouble, really. We have lots of extra rooms." I assured her. She looked at Prop, nodding, agreeing with Bo.

"I was there. If he goes out, he'll get a cold for sure." she said. "I vote we stay here, if it really is no trouble. Ricco, Mosca, what do you say about this?" Hornet looked at the other two.

Ricco spoke first. "I don't want Bo to get sick, so I vote we stay." Mosca nodded, agreeing. "So, Prosper, it looks to be four against one. We're staying."

"Great, we'll have your rooms set up." I said. They nodded and smiled, all except for Prosper, as I realized his full name was, who's face was unreadable.

The doorbell rang and, a few seconds later, a maid ushered everyone out of the room, including Marco and Kat. A few more seconds later, I realized why.

"_Ciao_, Maria." Scipio said from the doorway, entering my room slowly.

"_Ciao_, Scipio. How are you?" I said, smiling.

"Cold, wet, tired." he said, shrugging. "How are you feeling?" He remained standing, and that's when I noticed he was dripping water onto the floor. He must have been outside in this downpour.

"Why were you outside! You idiot, are you trying to kill yourself?" I asked, nearly standing up, but he held me down.

"Are you trying to kill yourself, Maria?" he asked, letting me go. I sighed, remembering my injury, and told him where to find a towel. He nodded his thanks and retrieved it, leaving me alone with my thoughts for a moment.

_'Why is he here? I mean, not that I mind, but, why did he come all the way here in a thunderstorm? Just to see me? Or some other reason?'_ I asked myself. No answer came before he returned, slightly more dried off.

_'Skip the formalities, just ask him.'_ Giving myself a small pep-talk, I asked; "Why are you here?"

He seemed to remember the reason for his journey then. "Oh, uh, I- you, uh..." he stopped, then shook his head and started again. "I found this in the garden, just before it started to rain. You seemed to have lost it when you were there for dinner." he said formally, pulling out my crystal necklace from his pocket.

_'It had fallen off? When?'_ I was very confused as I held out my hand and he slowly dropped the necklace into it, pooling the light, silver chain around the crystal.

"Thank you, Scipio." I said, placing it on the table beside my bed. He nodded, then sighed. I distantly heard the phone ring, and moments after, a maid appeared.

"Master Scipio," she said formally, curtseying slightly. "Your father has requested you remain here for the night, until the storm lets up. He said that there are no questions and he wants you here." Scipio nodded and she left.

I laid back down on my bed, feeling faint. This was going to be an interesting night.

**A/N: I'm sorry, I lied in the last chapter, I didn't manage to update the day after. You want to know why? My iPad wiped everything, including the story I had been writing on it (which was another five or six chapters longer). So, I'm now making it up as I go, which is fun too, right?**

**Cheers everyone, and I'll try to get the next chapter up in the next week or so. Since school's coming back, it's going to be tough, and I actually have to write it... but it will come!**

**Translations** (Italian-English):  
><em>ciao- hello<em>


	4. Chapter Four

**Authour's Note and Disclaimer:**

**Who's ever heard of an authour's note at the beginning of a chapter, eh? Well, I mostly wanted to say that I'm sorry for taking so *three months* long to update. It's pathetic, I know. But, school mixed with homework and unseen injuries really minimized my writing time. I'll have chapter five up by December, cross my heart. Thanks to all the reviews, too, they helped me write the end of this! ...and now over to Marco...**

**Marco: Meh.**

**Disclaimer: Meh meaning that I don't own any of the characters or settings or anything mentioned except my characters. :) Right Marco?**

**Marco: Meh.**

_Scipio_

Seeing Maria dive into the water after Bo had nearly made my heart stop. It was freezing cold in the canal, with the storm fast approaching, but I wasn't sure how strong a swimmer she was.

After she handed Bo to Prosper, I had held my hand down to her to help her out of the frigid waters, but she didn't take it, not for very long, anyway.

When I saw the water around her become red, I pulled off my mask and dove in after her fast sinking form. She was submerged now, and unconscious. I ducked under and wrapped my arm around her small waist. I wasn't sure how I did it, but I brought us back to the surface. Then, I worked on the anchor.

I had only noticed it then, and I ducked under water again to try to free it from her leg. After a few moments of struggling, it came free. By then, I was freezing, chilled to the bone.

I swam, with Maria, back to the wall of the canal, and her brother, Marco, and Prosper helped pull her out. I climbed out myself, finding my mask before showing my face to Marco and Kat, and Hornet was already checking her pulse.

A shopkeeper had given us towels, which weren't much help in the rain, but I had accepted it anyway. Bo was wrapped in three, and when both Maria and I had a towel, Marco suggested we go to their mansion.

I picked Maria up, being, probably, the only one who was strong enough to carry her. The maid had nearly fainted when we arrived at the door, but ushered us in and directed me to Maria's room.

The others shied away from me, obviously scared, as I walked the halls. I left Maria with the maid and returned downstairs, where the others were, bundled up by the fire and sipping mugs of hot chocolate. They offered me a mug tentatively and I took it, nodding my thanks. I sat down between Hornet and Ricco, avoiding Marco's hostile gaze.

A few hours passed and we became warm and dry, except for me. I was still wet and because of that, still cold.

"She's waking up!" a maid called from upstairs, and Marco and Kat rushed up. We remained where we were, watching a troop of ten or so maids following them. I stood up and followed after a minute, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible.

As I leaned against the doorframe, I heard her ask: "And how's that little boy who got pushed in? Is he fine?"

"He's fine," I said, startling them. Her brother drew their little sister to the other side of the room, and all the maids, scared of me, rushed out of the room. After a moment of silence, I spoke again. "I think a thank you is in order." I was now standing beside her.

"For what?" Sassy too? That was something I hadn't found out when she met me a few weeks ago.

"I saved your life." I smirked at her look of astonishment.

"That was you?" she asked.

I smiled. "You just had to faint for me, did you? It was much harder carrying dead weight," I said. She looked affronted.

"Well, next time you save my friend's life, then get dragged under water by a barbed anchor lodged in your leg and not lose consciousness, why don't you?" she asked. I grinned, then walked towards the door. I stopped in the door frame again and, without turning to her, I spoke.

"I still haven't received a thank you."

She sighed. "Thank you, for saving my life," she said, and with that, I left. I immediately left the house, remembering that I had told my father I was coming to the Vargo's home to drop something off. I needed to change and retrieve the item. I sprinted the whole way to my father's mansion, scaled the wall to my bedroom and changed and picked up the necklace. I had found it this morning, on the edge of the fountain, where Maria had apparently left it. I tucked it in my pocket and left the house the same way I had come in.

Returning to the Vargo's mansion, I rang the bell. A maid answered it, and her face went pale. "I'm here to see Maria, is she in?" I asked. She nodded and called to another maid, who hurried up the stairs. A larger maid, their chief maid, met me in the foyer.

"Miss Maria has gone through quite a lot, she dove into the canal to save a little boy, but was hurt. Do not disquiet her," she told me firmly. I nodded, and was led upstairs. Maria's room was empty, except for her, of course, and she looked up at me when I entered.

"_Ciao_, Maria," I said from the doorway, entering the room slowly.

"_Ciao_, Scipio. How are you?" she asked, smiling.

"Cold, wet, tired," I said, shrugging. "How are you feeling?" I remained standing, trying not to get everything wet. I was soaked from the rain.

"Why were you outside! You idiot, are you trying to kill yourself?" she asked, nearly standing up, but I held her down quickly, not wanting the maids to find out that I had 'disquieted' her.

"Are you trying to kill yourself, Maria?" I asked, letting go. She sighed and told me where to find a towel. I nodded my thanks and retrieved it.

"Why are you here?" she asked when I returned. I suddenly remembered why I had trekked here through the rain.

"Oh, uh, I- you, uh..." I stopped, then shook my head to clear it and started again. "I found this in the garden, just before it started to rain. You seemed to have lost it when you were there for dinner," I said, pulling out the necklace from my pocket. She looked very confused as I held out my hand and slowly dropped the necklace into her outstretched one, pooling the light, silver chain around the crystal.

"Thank you, Scipio," she said, placing it on the table beside her bed. I nodded, then sighed. In the distance, I heard the phone ring, and moments after, a maid appeared.

"Master Scipio," she said formally, curtseying slightly. "Your father has requested you remain here for the night, until the storm lets up. He said that there are no questions and he wants you here." I nodded and she left. Maria laid back down on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

The night was interesting. Maria had offered for the orphans to stay the night, and I was stuck. Marco seemed to know something, but wouldn't let on, he just sat in the corner and texted his girlfriend. Bo was curious about why I was here, but Kat made short work of that.

"His father wants him to spend the night with us, like you are," she said, then pulled him off to show him something. Maria joined us for supper, helped down the stairs by a few maids and her father's butler. She smiled her thanks at the bottom, then hopped over towards Prop, Hornet and I on her crutches.

"How're you feeling, Maria?" Hornet asked. The two had taken to each other quickly, now acting like they had been friends for years, despite the age difference between them.

"Fine, thanks, Hornet. How are you, Prosper, Scipio?" Prop and I exchanged a quick glance, and Prop shrugged.

"Alright."

"Same," I said, making her raise an eyebrow.

"Okay then..." She trailed off as Kat appeared, dragging Bo, Mosca and Riccio behind her.

"Maria!" She hugged Maria around her knees lightly, careful to avoid her bad leg.

"Hey Kat," Maria said quietly, fixing the girl's ponytail.

"I was showing Bo, Mosca and Riccio Carota," she said proudly. I smiled at the eight year old's pride in her cat, which I had met earlier.

"She's got the same cat affixation as Bo," Riccio said, laughing. Maria laughed as well, then smiled at Bo.

"How are you feeling?"

"Good," he said softly.

"That's good." Then cook, a large, jovial woman, appeared in a doorway.

"Supper's ready, Miss Maria." Maria nodded, then looked down the hall. Covering Kat's ears with the eight year old's hands, she motioned that Bo should do the same. Kat sat quietly, hands over her ears, waiting for Maria to speak.

"Marco!" Maria yelled after Bo had covered his ears. "Quit texting, get off your ass and get over here!"

Kat calmly removed her hands from her ears, and Bo did the same. Marco slowly appeared around the corner, pressing buttons on his phone. He didn't seem to notice us, not until Maria plucked the phone from his fingers.

"Hey!" he said, looking ready to tackle her. It was only then that I noticed how much taller Marco was than his older sister. She smiled, handed the phone to a maid, then pushed him into the kitchen, putting an arm around him. I could see that the others were slightly shaken from the shouting, but Kat cleared it up.

"They always joke around, but sometimes use words I'm not allowed to hear," she explained, then skipped after her siblings. Prop, Hornet, Riccio, Mosca, Bo and I followed her.

Supper consisted of chicken soup and macaroni and cheese, a family recipe from Maria's aunt in Canada. Afterwords, the cook handed Bo and Kat a piece of maple sugar, and asked if anyone else wanted one, handing one to Maria as she did so. Their aunt sent them Canadian treats every month, and Maria said that, with every package, she said they needed their "Canadian fix".

Hours later, we were all sitting in the den, Bo and Kat off to bed, watching an American movie Marco picked up while at school. Riccio and Mosca fell asleep after a while, and Marco left saying he'd seen the movie too many times. Hornet was cuddled into Prop's side, her head on his shoulder.

I glanced at Maria after a while, who had tucked her good leg to her chest, the other stretched out infront of her. The movie finished and both Maria and I stood up to turn the T.V. off. "I'll get it, Scipio," she said, pushing past me. There was a loud crack of thunder, and then silence.

"Storm's over," Maria announced. Prop and Hornet had woken up Mosca and Riccio, and they had all gone upstairs, and we were alone in the den. "Come on, Scip, I want to show you this," she said, poking the back of my knee with the end of her crutch.

"What do you want to show me?" I asked, following her.

"This." She pushed open the doors leading to the back gardens and walked outside, and I followed her. The air was damp and cold, and the ground was slippery.

"Careful," I said quickly, putting an arm around Maria's waist as we walked over one of the puddles left by the rain.

"Thanks," she said, smiling. She leaned her crutches against a nearby tree and pointed at the foutain a few steps away. It was illuminated by a perfect circle of moonlight and the light danced off of the water in a soft sparkle. "Every night, after a storm, the moon shines directly onto this fountain. I found it when I was little, watching from my bedroom window," Maria explained. "I don't really know why I wanted to show you, but..." She trailed off, looking up at me.

"It's beautiful," I said quielty. _"But not as beautiful as you,"_ I thought in my head. Maria reached for her crutches, slipped and fell right into my arms.

"Sorry," she stammered, trying to get up.

"Don't, you'll hurt yourself," I said, helping her stand up. Her hands were lightly splayed on my chest, and I was still holding her around the waist, where I had caught her.

"Scip," she began, but I cut her off.

"Stop talking," I whispered, then kissed her gently on the lips. We kissed again, long and sweet, and then broke apart momentarily. Maria looked up at me, and for a second time, our lips met.

"Oh my God, they're kissing!" someone yelled from an upstairs window. I looked up and Maria spun around, and Hornet's, Kat's and Bo's grinning faces looked back at us. Kat stuck her tongue out at her older sister, who rolled her eyes.

"You'll need to harvest the Oracle, Maria!" Kat called from the open window. Maria nodded.

I handed Maria her crutches, but she didn't go back to the mansion. Instead, she went deeper into the gardens and I, not wanting her to hurt herself any more, followed.

"Where are you going?" I asked, but she just looked back and smiled.

"You'll see," she said quietly.

**A/N: Two in one chapter? I am on a roll today. ;) Well, we got some romance started here, and just to head off any questions about the Hornet and Prop thing, they're together. Probably should've mentioned it earlier, but... oh well.**

**Translations **(Italian-English):

_ciao- _hello


	5. Chapter Five

**Disclaimer: So, who wants to do it this time?**

**Bo and Kat: We do!**

**Disclaimer: Okay, go ahead.**

**Bo: She doesn't own anything you recognize in this fanfic.**

**Kat: Things such as Italy, any Thief Lord characters, like Bo, for example...**

**Bo: *:D***

**Kat:... and she made up me, Maria and Marco, our parents and the servants from her head. And the girl that Scipio-**

**Bo: Shhh! Kat, no one knows about that yet! That's a few chapters away!**

**Kat: Oh, right, sorry. *:(***

**Disclaimer: It's okay, Kat, we all do that sometimes. Now everyone's going to wonder what it is that Scip did and want to keep reading.**

**Scipio: Don't put me in such a bad light! Nothing happened!**

**Maria: Oh, shut up, all of you. Here's the story.**

_Maria _

It was a good thing that Kat had reminded me to harvest the Oracle, or I would've forgotten. Scipio was following me, most likely to make sure I didn't hurt myself again, or maybe for other reasons unknown. Or slightly know, but ones that made me blush at the thought.

When I reached the Oracle, it was softly illuminated by the bright stars. I bent and plucked the flower from it's pot. There was only one of this flower in the garden, and Kat had nicknamed it the Oracle one day, when she saw how the stars made it glow. It was always ready to be picked after a heavy rain, and another would always grow in its' place.

"This, Scipio Massimo, is the Oracle," I said, laughing.

"Oh," he replied, comprehension donning on his face.

"It's Kat's special flower, but I have to get it for her," I told him.

"Because of some ritual you two have?" he asked.

"No," I said slowly. "Because she isn't allowed out of the house past nine at night."

He nodded, and I laughed. "Come on, it's getting late." He stopped me when I tried to pass. "How fast do we have to go inside?"

"It's cold, Scip, and this is going to wilt. Do you want Kat to be disappointed?" I began to go inside, and he followed me. As I passed the fountain, I glanced at the etchings around the top-most rim. _Anche se siamo andati, noi non sarà dimenticate._ Though we may be gone, we will not be forgotten. Those words had been inscribed by my great-grandfather, and had become the Vargo family saying. My parents had taken the time to inscribe it, themselves, above the main entrance.

We reached Kat's room quickly, despite the fact I was hindered by crutches and a bad leg, and I delivered the Oracle flower to her. She smiled widely and placed it carefully in a crystal vase, reserved for her flower only. I tucked Kat in and Scip and I left her.

It was now almost midnight, and I was falling asleep on my feet.

"'Night, Scip," I said as we became parallel with my bedroom door.

"'Night," he said quietly. I sighed and began to turn to my room, but he caught my waist and kissed me gently. I returned his kiss, and I felt him smile against my lips.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Bo, Prop, Hornet, Mosca and Riccio filed out, and a tired looking Scip followed them.<p>

"See you around?" he asked, and we nodded.

"'Course. You can't shake us that easily," I said, laughing. Over the following two weeks, my leg slowly healed. I was able to walk within the first, but wasn't allowed off my crutches until they were sure it was better. The day that I was deemed injury-free, however, Dottier Massimo invited my parents and I over to dinner, conveniently ignoring Marco and Kat. My parents, of course, accepted, and that night we found ourselves at the front door of the Massimo mansion.

"Carmen, Matthew," Dottier Massimo greeted our parents. "Do come in," he said, ushering us into the foyer. Scipio stood, awkwardly, at the foot of the stairs. I gave him a soft smile as our parents disappeared into another room.

"How're you feeling?" Scip asked.

"Well, and you?" I asked him.

"Well," he replied. We both glanced towards the room where Dottier Massimo and my parents had disappeared into.

"Is there any point in staying?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, not really. They probably won't miss us over dinner, either." Scip said, smirking. "Come on, I want to show you something." He took my hand and pulled me out of the front door.

A warm breeze played with my hair as we walked down the cobble streets. We must have been quite a pair, Scip in a suit and me in a fancy dress, and we received many odd looks from tourists and locals.

"Get a load of you two!" someone called from behind us. We both turned to see Hornet and Prop strolling along the street, holding hands. Hornet was smirking, and I saw Prop wink at Scipio out of the corner of my eye.

"Oh, shut up," I told Hornet, who laughed.

"What's the occasion?" Prop asked.

"Dinner," Scip and I said at the same time. "We snuck out, not that any of our parents will care," Scip explained.

"You bad ass kids," Hornet reprimanded.

"And you?" I asked, glancing at their entwined hands. Hornet went pink and Prop wouldn't meet my gaze. He murmured something indecipherable, and he and Hornet disappeared with a crowd of tourists.

Scip laughed."Those two," he said.

"It seems like they know you from prior to the storm," I said coolly. Scip pretended to not hear me and pulled me along. We were now walking along the canal, now calm and smooth, unlike the last time I had visited it. A small pier was at the end of the canal, multiple gondolas tied to it. A group of fifteen year old girls glanced at us and left the pier quickly, giggling and whispering. One of them had dropped a coin, and Scip picked it up.

"Canadian tourists," he said, scoffing. I elbowed him in the stomach.

"Now, what did you want to show me?" He calmly placed one hand calmly on my shoulder and turned me around. The sun was setting over the canal, and a trio of gondolas were shadowed on the still waters. Bits of sunlight glittered off of the water.

"Wow," I sighed.

"See?" Scip whispered in my ear. I nodded.

"How long have I lived in Italy? I've never seen this before," I said quietly. Scipio laughed, his breath tickling my ear. Scip turned me around again, his hands resting gently on my waist. He leaned his forehead against mine, smiling.

"It's beautiful, eh?" I nodded slowly, then glanced at his watch.

"We should get going, dinner's going to be soon, and they'll send out a search party if we're not back," I said, joking.

"Do we have to?" Scipio asked.

"Yes," I said, pushing him back towards his mansion. Dinner was a dull affair. It wouldn't have mattered if we had shown up or not, it was almost as if we weren't there. When Dottier Massimo began dishing out compliments, to help with the deal, I glanced at Scip and stifled a laugh. Eventually, we were both ushered out of the dining room, and Scip walked me home while our parents talked.

"See you later," Scip said, bidding me farewell.

"Good night, Scip," I said, smiling, entering the house and running right into the wall of muscle that was Marco.

"When do I get to threaten my older sister's boyfriend?" he asked.

"He's not my boyfriend," I said, not meeting his eye.

Marco scoffed. "You two were making out in the garden and he hasn't asked you out yet? I doubt that."

"We're not together," I persisted. Marco rolled his eyes, but let the subject go. I climbed upstairs and went to bed, still smiling.

* * *

><p>The next day, Kat and I went shopping and wandered around the city. We were returning home as it turned dark, and I wanted to get Kat off of the streets. Three blocks away from the mansion, someone grabbed my upper arm and pulled me into an alley. An obviously male hand clamped over my mouth, and I bit one of the fingers.<p>

"Run, Kat!" I yelled, and, with a brief pause looking at me, the girl ran.

"Little brat," the man who was holding me grumbled, tying a gag around my mouth.

"Don't worry, her parents will pay the same amount for one as they would for two," another replied. I tried to kick the one who was now binding my wrists with a length of rope, but to no avail.

"Feisty too," the first commented, then tightened the cord so it dug into my wrists. I winced. "Too tight, sweetheart?" he asked, and I could tell he was smiling just from his tone of voice. He began to half drag, half lead me in the opposite direction Kat had run, and I kicked him. "You little bi-"

"Now, is that any way to treat a lady?" a lighter male voice asked, and by the way the two of them spun around, I could tell they weren't in league with him.

"You want her, Thief Lord? Come and get her," the other said, and I now had a view of the Thief Lord. He was tall, with dark hair and in all black, as he was th first day I met him.

His face was obscured by a large, black, bird-like mask, one similar to those worn by doctors in the plague, but I could tell that his eyes were still dark. "Alright." He hopped down from the rooftop he was standing on, landing lightly between the two men. The man holding me threw me aside, and I hit my head off of the brick wall of the alley. As I slumped against the wall, fighting unconsciousness, I saw the Thief Lord fighting off the two men, but then everything faded into black.

_Scipio _

The men ran before I could do much damage, but I was more worried about Maria than anything else. I removed the gag and untied her wrists, no easy feat, but welts were left on her wrists.

"Come on, Maria, wake up," I whispered, shaking her gently. No response. I sighed, stood and picked her up bridal style. Her head rested gently against my shoulder as I walked, but she still didn't wake, and I wondered where I would take her. Ever since Ida and Victor moved from Italy, the orphans had moved back into the Stella, and I guessed she would be safe there. I kicked the door with my foot, not wanting to risk dropping her, and Riccio answered.

"What do you want, Sci- oh. Come on," he said, holding the door open for me when he saw Maria.

"HORNET!" he yelled, and she came running.

"What the hell did she do to herself now?" Hornet asked, running to get a place for me to put Maria down.

"Got attacked," I said simply.

"Why?" Prop asked, helping me set Maria down on a mattress.

"What I overheard was that they were going to hold her hostage and force her parents to pay ridiculous amounts of money for her return. They tried to get Kat as well, but Maria made her run."

"Brave kid," Riccio sighed. "I wish I had a sister that did that for me."

"Don't we all wish we had sisters," Mosca joked. "Anyway, Scip, what should we do with her?"

"Firstly, don't call me Scip. I don't want her to know that I'm me, if you know what I mean," I said, adjusting the mask. "Secondly, I just want her off of the streets until she's better. I'll take her tomorrow, but it's a bad idea tonight. I'll come back and stay the night, but I'll tell my father I'm looking for her, okay?"

Hornet was the only one who nodded.

"You're not in charge here, Scip," Prop said cautiously.

"Honestly, Prop?" Hornet asked. "We all care about Maria, and that's the best plan. I don't see you coming up with anything," she snapped. Prop looked hurt, and Hornet clasped a hand to her mouth. "I-I'm sorry. I'm just really tired, and-"

"Go to bed then, Hornet. We'll look after her," Bo said, smiling.

"I should be back in an hour," I told them, and left the Stella. It took less than an hour to convince my father of my whereabouts that night. He agreed that it would be best for me to look for Maria, as it would strengthen the trust of the Vargo's and help the deal. I rolled my eyes when I left the room. My father needed to get his priorities straight.

When I returned to the Stella, Hornet was buzzing around Maria, making sure there were no further injuries. Turning to look at me, she stood up.

"What did you father say?" she asked.

"I'm staying the night," I told them, but was hushed by Prop.

"Shh," he whispered. "She's waking up." I quickly pulled on the mask and remained where I stood, away from the ring forming around Maria.

"What the hell?" were the first things from her mouth. Hornet laughed. "What happened? Where are we?"

"You're fine. You got attacked and the Thief Lord saved you. You hit your head really hard, though, you've been unconscious for an hour," Hornet explained.

"And Kat?" Maria asked. I had known it was coming.

"She's fine, from what we know. Apparently she got home safe," Prop told her. She nodded and sat up.

"Honestly, where are we?" she asked, looking around.

"The Stella," Bo said loudly from upstairs. "The Thief Lord found it for us, so we live here. It's an old movie theater."

"You live here?" Maria asked. I chose that moment to make my presence known.

"My, my, full of questions, aren't we?" I asked calmly.

She looked stunned. "You- you're the one who-"

"Rescued you from the canal, I know," I interrupted. "Nice to see you again, though I wish it had been on better circumstances, for both occasions. I've now saved your life, what, twice? Don't make a habit of getting into trouble, Vargo. I might not always be there." She didn't look pleased, or hurt for that matter, she squared her shoulders and sat up straighter.

"I wasn't planning on making a habit of getting into trouble, Thief Lord, and if I did, I wouldn't need your help."

"Sure," I said, smirking.

"Oh, shut up," Hornet told me, then began to look after Maria. Only after she insisted, for the fifteenth time, that she was fine did Hornet leave her alone.

"When should I be getting home?" Maria asked. Everyone looked at me, and I sighed and began pacing.

"Not tonight," I said carefully. She stood up, watching me with a disbelieving expression. I continued. "It's only because it's almost one in the morning and you aren't safe on the streets."

"That's what you think," she muttered, then followed Hornet to insist that Bo go to bed, and the rest.

"What was that?" I asked sweetly, but she ignored me. Prop shut off the lights, and the theater went silent. Only my footsteps and Maria's could be heard, echoing slightly.

"'Night, Bo," Prop said quietly.

"'Night Prop. 'Night, Hornet, Mosca, Riccio, Maria," he echoed.

"Good night, Bo," Maria said softly, then walked down the stairs and stopped in front of me, hands on hips.

"I want to show you something," I said quietly.

"Where have I heard that before?" she asked, more to herself than me, and I realized I had said the exact same thing to her the night on the canal.

"I don't quite know," I told her, covering up, badly, then pulled her upstairs and outside, onto the roof. I could tell she was watching me, and I knew that if I wasn't careful, my cover would be blown.

"Where are we going?" she asked after a moment.

"Just here, careful, there's a loose tile. Wouldn't want you to slip and hurt your leg anymore, as it's just healed." I warned her.

"How did you know my leg just healed?" she asked suspiciously.

"Well, you're walking, but with a slight limp," I said, swearing silently. "Anyone could've guessed." She didn't seem to believe me, but said nothing more to my statements.

"Wow," she sighed after a moment, looking out over the canal. "Gorgeous view."

"Yeah," I said. "Sometimes I come up here and think."

"It makes a good spot," she said, sitting down. "Why'd you want to show me?" She was watching me out of the corner of her eye, and I shrugged, sitting as well.

"A pretty girl should see a pretty view like this," I said, grinning. She raised her eyebrows, smirking, and looked out over the city.

**A/N: Well, I promised that I'd get this up by December, and here it is. Next chapters is already in progress, so I hope this is satisfactory until then. I also hope that Kat made you hopeful for the next few chapters, silly girl. *Kat blushes and hides her head* Anyway, hope you all like it. Happy first day of December, everyone, and if the next chapter isn't up until after Christmas, Merry Christmas and a happy New Year! :D Have a good holiday everyone!**

**Translations: **(Italian-English)

anche se siamo andati, noi non sarà dimenticate - though we may be gone, we will not be forgotten


	6. Chapter Six

**A/N: Thank you to all of my lovely reviewers! You guys really are the best, and the reason why I continue to write. ...wow, that sounded really sappy. Anyway, on a less sappy note, school is again getting in the way (again, I mean, really?) Stupid exams and stuff. Well, I'm going to keep writing, and your reviews are really helping. Your input is also helpful, as I write spontaneously and only have a vague idea of what is going to happen. Now, a little replying on my part... sorry if I miss your review! :)**

**Gyp Dark: Thank you so much, and good idea. I'm still trying to work out what kind of relationship they have, but I'll try to work it in! Thanks!**

**R i v e r B l e u: Thanks sooooo much!**

**Abbl2: Thank you! I won't give anything away ;), but the next few chapters are starting to shape up. I like the idea, I was hoping to have him gain his trust back, but wasn't sure how. You might see that soon, but no promises (well, yeah, it's gonna be in there, but not tellin' who!) Not gonna say, and the title will make sense nearer the end. Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to read my story, and review it!**

**Bloody Ruby: Thank you! :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: Maria's turn!<strong> 

**Maria: I don't want to!**

**Kat: C'mon, Mar, it's fun.**

**Maria: Fine. She doesn't own anything. Happy?**

**Disclaimer: Sure, I can be satisfied with that. Here's the story.**

_Maria_

I glanced over at the Thief Lord. He caught my eye and winked, the mask obscuring most of his face. It was lucky that it was dark outside, because it hid the blush creeping up my cheeks. The back of my head was throbbing with pain, and I winced every time I moved too quickly, black spots dancing in front of my eyes. As I looked out over the sprawling city of Venice, a thought struck me.

"Who are you?" I asked cautiously, glancing at the Thief Lord.

"No one you need to concern yourself about," he replied cooly, not meeting my gaze this time.

"No, really, how did you find this place? Those kids?"

"They're all orphans," he told me. "I've been helping them out." I quickly noticed that he said nothing about how he found the Stella, or if he was an orphan.

"Oh," I said, not pressing him to tell me anything more.

"Listen, I'll get you back to where you were attacked and wait until someone friendly finds you, okay? Then you can go home, and hopefully I won't have to rescue you again," he said, smirking. The tension was gone as quickly as it had come.

"Hopefully not," I said, combing my fingers through my hair, to no avail. The wind continued to push it into my face, so I let it be.

"We should probably go inside," the Thief Lord said, standing and holding out a hand to me. I took it and stood as well.

"Thanks," I replied, and we climbed back to the Stella.

* * *

><p>The next morning, the Thief Lord woke me up at six, before anyone else was awake. "They'd cause quite a scene, saying goodbye and wanting to come with us," he whispered as we left the silence of the theatre to the streets of Venice. Back at the place I had been attacked, we stopped.<p>

"Thanks for, well, everything, I guess. Saving me and all that," I said, smiling. He offered me a half smile.

"You're welcome, you ever get in trouble again, just call me," he told me, his hands in his pockets. Footsteps and men's voices stopped our talk, and he pulled me close, staring off in the direction they were coming from. Soon, they passed and disappeared, but he didn't let go of me. "Sorry, force of habit," he said, looking down at me.

He still had his arms wrapped around my waist, and my hands were resting lightly on his shoulders.

"It's no problem-"

He cut me off by kissing me. It was short and sweet, and, with a nod, he disappeared.

_I know those eyes_, I thought, sitting down with my back against they alley wall. _That voice, that kiss, it's-_

My thoughts were interrupted by Scipio, who came running.

"Maria, oh God, are you okay?" he asked, kneeling beside me.

"I think so," I said, smiling up at him.

"I've been out looking for you all night, where've you been?" he asked. I raised an eyebrow, knowing he was lying, but let him keep his secret, for now.

"The Stella. You know, that's where Hornet and the others have been living." I stated.

"Really? Hmm, well, let's get you home, shall we?"

"How's Kat?" I asked as he helped me up. "Did she get home safely?"

"Yes, she's a mess, but she's fine. She's been crying all night," Scip said, putting an arm around my waist to help support me. We didn't go to my house, but to the Massimo mansion. The door opened as we ascended the steps, and as we crossed the threshold, maids, and Dottier Massimo's butler, descended upon us, helping me sit and wrapping blankets around me, checking me for wounds, though I was fine. Scip was also being surrounded, by my family, who were thanking him and, in Kat's case, hugging him around the legs. I smiled, and he caught my eye and smiled back.

Then, the maids disappeared, and Kat attacked me, starting to cry as she hugged me.

"Mar! I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have run but I just did and now you're hurt and it's all my fault and I can't believe that happened and-" she began, and obviously wasn't stopping.

"Slow down, Kat. I told you to run and I'm glad you did. It's not your fault. I'm completely fine, don't worry," I said, hugging her back and ruffling her hair, amazed I had been able to catch all of her words. My parents smiled and Marco gave me a one-armed hug, reminding me of the little brother I once had.

"Thank you, Scipio," my father was saying as Marco let go of me, and I heard Marco crack his knuckles behind me.

"Stop it," I told him, smiling. He glanced at me and rolled his eyes, but did as I asked and let his arms drop to his sides. That's when Dottier Massimo himself made his appearance. He glanced at me, then to Scipio, and then smiled at my parents, gesturing that they should sit with him while they had a drink. My father glanced at my mother, and they both shook their heads.

"We need to go home, but thank you for the offer," mum said, and we showed ourselves out with a quick goodbye. Marco seemed to be sticking closer to Kat and I, and I knew why. He no longer trusted the streets of Verona, after the attempted kidnapping. I elbowed him in the stomach good-naturedly, and his shoulders dropped, more relaxed. 

_Scipio_

"Scipio!" my father barked. His butler hurried away, not wanting to get in the way of whatever was coming. I turned to look at my father as my uncle descended the stairs.

"Who was here?" he asked, standing three feet from my father. Our wonderful, dysfunctional family.

"The Vargos," my father spat, spite dripping from his words. I looked between the two men as my uncle scowled.

"Why?" my uncle asked, his nose upturned at the name.

"My _heroic_ son just saved their eldest daughter, Maria." They both turned to look at me, and I stared back. When neither spoke, I broke the silence.

"And what's so bad about that?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"Ignorant boy!" My uncle, who was closest, slapped me across the face. I didn't flinch, or stumble back, as I was used to this from my uncle. My father never laid a hand on me, he hadn't touched me since I was a baby, and always used words to convey his anger, but not my oh-so kind and gentle uncle.

"Are you going to tell me why I'm ignorant, or shall I leave?" I asked, my cheek stinging.

"Go." They spoke at the same time, and I turned to ascend the stairs. I lingered at the top of the staircase to listen to them speak. "He just had to interfere," my uncle said, beginning to pace.

"Of course he did, he's a teenage boy," my father retorted, not moving from where he stood.

"What's that supposed to mean?" my uncle asked.

"He's got feelings for the girl, and he'll go to any lengths to protect her. There has to be a different approach to get at the g-"

"What are you still doing there, boy?" my uncle demanded, cutting my father off. I swore under my breath, he had seen me.

"Just admiring this lovely picture. Is it new?" I asked, sarcasm edging my voice.

"It's been there since we first moved here," my father snapped. "Go to your room," he added, and I shrugged and left the hall, closing my door loudly behind me. I could no longer hear my father and uncle talking, and I thought about what they had said.

Who were they talking about? I asked myself. Who is this girl, and why are they trying to get her? What for? I knew that my father and uncle hated the Vargo family and only tolerated them for their money, but was the deal going to badly that they would try to kidnap their children? I doubted it, but doubt left some room for change... 

_Maria_

"How's the deal going with Dottier Massimo?" I asked as we ate dinner. Mum scowled at her plate.

"Not well. He's asking for too much money in too little a time, and the whole idea is completely ludicrous, if you ask me," she said, glancing at dad.

"Well, it sounded good at first, but now..." His sentence trailed off.

"What was the idea anyway?" Marco asked.

"Can't disclose it to anyone. Signed a contract of secrecy. No one but your mother and I, the Dottier and Scipio's uncle know about it," dad said, taking a bite of salad that Kat and I had made. We'd given everyone the night off, so it left us to macaroni and cheese, salad and sausage.

"Well, I still think it's a crazy idea," mum said, laughing. "Excellent sausage, by the way, dear," she added, smiling at dad. We all nodded in agreement, and then I started to laugh. We hadn't eaten together as a family in almost a year, with Kat, Marco and I being away for school, and mum and dad busy with work. I wasn't sure why, but I found this quite amusing, and my laughter was infectious.

* * *

><p>The next afternoon, the doorbell rang. As I was closest, I answered it. Hornet stood before me.<p>

"Hi, Hornet," I said, smiling.

"Hey, Maria, can I come in?" she asked, and I nodded. As I stood aside to let her pass, I saw a flash out of the corner of my eye, and a dark shadow swiftly moved away. I noted that and closed the door.

"What's up?" I asked, and Hornet smiled.

"Bo's been in a fit, wondering how you are. I was sent to check on you, as the boys thought it would be 'inappropriate' to come themselves."

I laughed. "I'm fine, and tell them they can come over any time," I said, smiling. Hornet smiled too.

"Okay, but I give you fair warning, Bo will be here every day," she said.

"But, he won't be here to see me," I said, grinning, and Hornet laughed. We had both put two and two together and knew that Bo had a crush on Kat. Whenever Kat took his hand, he blushed and allowed himself to be pulled away to look at something new. It was sweet.

"No, of course not. Does Kat know?" she asked. I glanced around, and then motioned for her to follow me. We continued the conversation in my room.

"Not that I know of, but, you never know..." I laughed.

"For all we know, they could be together right now."

"They're so young, it's cute," Hornet said, sighing.

"And how are things with you and Prop?" I asked, elbowing her lightly.

"Fine..." she said, looking out the window, smiling. Then, she turned to me, her face dead-pan. "And how about you and Scip?"

"Fine..." I imitated, making her laugh. "I really don't know, actually. It's all confusing."

"He's kissed you, right?"

"Yeah, but... oh, I don't know. I'm just letting it happen as it happens. Does that make sense?" I asked.

"Mhmm," she said thoughtfully. "You know, it was three years after I met Prop that he asked me out."

"Really? How did you guys meet, anyway?" She glanced at me and pretended not to have heard the question by quickly changing the subject. I smirked and easily switched topics as well, and Hornet looked relieved.

We talked for the rest of the afternoon, and I invited the gang at the Stella back for dinner. Hornet relayed my message, and they all came, except for the elusive Thief Lord.

Marco scowled when they entered, but Kat greeted everyone warmly. Mum and dad had left for England a few hours ago, so we had the house to ourselves. As we ate, I looked around the table. Hornet and Prop kept stealing glances at each other, and blushed whenever they caught each others eye. Kat and Bo were talking animatedly, and Riccio, Mosca and Marco were having a heated discussion about boats. I smiled. We were our own funny little family. 

**A/N: There you have it. Glad I could get this up before February. A little advice taken from reviewers, got a little family life in there, and friendship, and what's with this plot the Massimo men have? *****dun dun duuuunnnn* **

**Exams are here, so the next chapter might not be up too quickly. Please have patience with me! Thanks for reading, and I love reviews!**

**~nerdy**


	7. Chapter Seven

**Disclaimer: I don't own Thief Lord (unfortunately...)**

_Maria_

Hornet came over again later that week, and again, we talked. A lot. Mostly about trivial stuff, like school and our childhoods. We talked until something hit my window. We looked at each other and I stood up, crossing my room and cautiously opening the door, which led to my balcony that looked out onto the road, Hornet right behind me.

_"Mia fiera Juliet coraggio mi avrebbe permesso di verdure il suo?"_a male voice asked from below, and I looked down to see Scipio smiling up at me. Hornet giggled from behind me and I shushed her.

_"Ma naturalmente, mio Romeo. Avete bisogno di non chiedere,"_I replied, smiling.

"I was only hoping to be a gentleman," he told me. An elderly couple walked past him and the woman smiled at Scipio, whispering something to him as they walked past. He laughed and returned his attention to me.

I leaned against the railing. My room was three stories above ground, and it gave me a good view of the city. Then, Scip disappeared. I stood back from the railing, and Hornet smiled.

"What's so funny?" I asked as she started giggling again.

"You two are so cute," she said. She opened her mouth to say something else, but closed it quickly.

_"Cara,"_Scip said from the balcony, and I turned. He was perched on a window sill, his arms folded on the railing of the balcony, smiling.

"I'll go," Hornet said, laughing, and exited my room.

"You could've used the door," I said, laughing as he pulled himself up higher.

"I could have, but this is more romantic," he said, kissing my nose lightly. The same elderly couple smiled up at us, and I glanced at Scip.

"What'd she say to you?" I asked, nodding my head at the woman.

"To get my ass up here before someone else took you, _cara_," he said, and vaulted over the railing. "I couldn't have agreed more."

He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me flush against him. I smiled up at him and kissed him quickly, but he wouldn't have that.

After a few moments, we pulled away from each other. I glanced down at the road and Hornet was smirking, and walked away briskly when she caught my eye. Once again, a flash caught the corner of my eye. Scip was watching me closely.

"What's up?" he asked. I knew I was frowning, so I smiled.

"Nothing, just thinking."

"Just thinking? I think something's bothering you, _cara_," he said, pulling me close and resting his chin on the top of my head.

"It's nothing," I said, glancing back at the spot that I had seen the flash. These had seemed to be following me everywhere I went, whenever I was with someone else. I frowned again, and Scip pulled me inside, closing the door with a snap.

"It's not nothing, Mar, it's obviously something."

So I told him. I told him everything, and he just nodded. When I was done, he pulled me close and began playing with my hair. "I won't let them hurt you," he said. "Whoever they are, I won't let them."

"Why would they hurt me?" I asked, looking up at him. He opened his mouth, closed it and shook his head. I knew he had a theory, but obviously wasn't going to say anything now.

Scip and I went for a walk at around eight thirty. At eight forty-five, we ran into Prosper, Bo, Mosca and Riccio. Literally. Prosper walked into me and Riccio and Mosca both hit Scip.

"Maria! Have you seen Hornet?" Prop asked, looking between Scipio and I.

"I was with her earlier, but haven't seen her since she left. Why?" I asked, an uneasy feeling in my stomach.

"We can't find her. It's not like her to be out long after seven, and this is just mental," Riccio said, checking his watch. "She'd never go out alone." I thought about the flashes, the shadows moving around in dark corners, all when I had been with... Hornet.

"Scip, those people, whoever they are, whatever they wanted, I think they took Hornet," I said, voicing my worries. I wanted someone to call me crazy, to defy my idea, but no one did.

"Get back home, wherever that may be. I have to go," he said suddenly, and ran off in the direction of the Massimo mansion.

"Yeah, back to your daddy, go have a decent meal!" Riccio called after him, spitting on the ground when he was done.

"No need for that, come on," Prop said, and he lead the way back to the Stella. We all sat on the floor, discussing motives for Hornet's possible kidnapping, when there was a knock at the door. It had been fifteen minutes since we had returned to the movie theatre.

Prop slowly got up and listened at the door. "Password?" he asked quietly.

_"Nessun adulti ha permessi,"_came the reply.

_Scipio_

I raced home, Riccio's taunting words echoing behind me. He wouldn't do this, they wouldn't, would they? I asked myself. Deep down, there was a part of me that was screaming "Of course!", but I had to check.

I opened the door quietly and snuck up the stairs to my father's office. He and my uncle were talking quietly, but I could hear well enough from outside.

"They've captured some girl she's been with quite often," my uncle said, and from his voice, I knew he was smirking.

"What's her name?"

"They don't know, she hasn't woken up yet. Small sort of girl, long dark hair, it was in a braid. Sound like anyone important? Maybe we could get a double deal out of this-"

"No, she's not important. She's an orphan. She and another little boy were staying in that old run-down movie theatre. There might have been more, but the _polizia_ only caught them."

My pulse quickened. Maria was right. Hornet...

"What are they going to do with the girl?" my father asked suddenly.

"Wait, until something happens. Miss Vargo is smart, she'll figure out what happened. Apparently, our photographers weren't too careful about their camera flashes. She may send the _polizia_, she may go herself, either way, when she's unprotected, we'll get her."

"A lot of trouble for one person, smart plan," my father said, and I heard the approval in his tone. A tone I'd never heard before.

I left before I heard any more, making a quick stop at my room to change and don my black mask.

_Maria_

The Thief Lord entered quickly, and with no formalities, started right in the conversation. "Hornet's been kidnapped."

**A/N: Dun dun dun… what shall happen next? I realize it was really short, but I needed a cliffy there. Mwahaha, I'm evil, I know. Don't worry, though, next chapter is already in progress. Please let me know what you think, there's a lovely little button below this… =D Reviewers get cookies!**

**Cheers**

**~nerdy**

**Translations **(Italian-English):_  
>mia fiera Juliet il coraggio mi avrebbe permesso di verdere il suo - would my fair Juliet dare allow me to see her<br>ma naturalmente, mio Romeo – but of course, my Romeo  
>avete bisogno di non chiedere – you need not ask<br>cara – sweetheart  
>nessun adulti ha permessi – no adults allowed<br>polizia - police_


	8. Chapter Eight

**Disclaimer: I know I'm evil for that cliffy, and taking forever to update, like, really forever, but here's the rest! I don't own anything, right?**

**Mosca and Riccio: Yeah.**

**Disclaimer: Thank you. And thank you to all my amazing reviewers! You guys are awesome!**

_Maria_  
><em>Just to recap: The Thief Lord entered quickly, and with no formalities, started right in the conversation. "Hornet's been kidnapped."<br>_  
>"Thanks, Thief Lord, we figured that one out by ourselves," Riccio snapped. I was getting the sense that Riccio disliked him very much. Prop just nodded, he'd been very quiet since we'd returned. Bo had fallen asleep with his head in my lap, a look of worry etched on his face. Mosca had offered very little also, but stood when the Thief Lord entered.<p>

"Well, have a plan?" he asked cockily.

"Not yet..." Mosca said quietly.

"Thought not," he said, more to himself than us.

"Shouldn't we just inform the _polizia_?" I asked innocently, which made all the boys laugh.

"No, they'll just inform us that we have over-active imaginations and take us to orphanages. It's happened before," Riccio said, immediately stamping the idea.

"You should all go to bed, I think I have a plan," the Thief Lord said. "Nothing'll happen to Hornet yet, don't worry. You'll all think better if you're not tired."

I carried Bo to bed and said goodnight to the others. The Thief Lord caught my arm before I settled down in a chair. "Sit with me?" he asked, and I nodded, following him to the roof.

"So, Mr. Know-It-All, what's your plan?" I asked.

"I'm working on it." He paused. "You know why they took Hornet, don't you?" he asked.

I looked over at him. "No," I said slowly.

"They took her because she's your friend. They want you, so they took her. The one part of the plan I'm sure of is that you're staying home tomorrow. With Kat and Marco, you're all in danger."

"But why? Why do they want me?"

"Because they want your parent's money."

"Who's they, then?"

"Can't tell you yet, just promise me you'll stay home tomorrow, please?" he asked, looking at me through the mask.

"I can't promise that," I said.

"I'll make you promise," he said, and slowly kissed me. I kissed him back, pulling off the mask as I did so.

"Scip..." I whispered as he kissed me again. I pulled back, and a shocked Scipio Massimo looked back at me.

"H-how'd you figure it out?" he asked, searching my face.

"I'm not stupid, Scip," I said, smiling. "Pretty easy to figure it out, actually."

"Oh," he whispered. "Are you mad?"

"Yes, I'm furious with you," I said in a monotone. "Of course not, why would I be mad?" I asked.

"Well, I lied to you," he said, looking anywhere but at me now.

"And you didn't do a very good job," I said, laughing. "Well, what's the plan, all mighty Thief Lord?"

"What plan?" he asked, looking up at me.

"To rescue Hornet? The one we were just talking about?"

"Oh, right. I have a few ideas, but I'm not going to tell you, cara," he said, tapping my nose.

"Why not?" I asked, feeling hurt.

Scipio sighed. "I can't explain everything now, but, they want you, Mar, so they took Hornet. If you come with us, they'll be able to get you. If I tell you our plan, you'll be able to join us, which is the last thing I want-"

I cut him off. "She's my friend too, Scip. More than a friend, she's like my little sister! If you think I'm going to just sit there while you rescue her-" I began, but now it was Scip's turn to cut me off.

"I'll even pay Marco to keep you in the house. Listen, I know she's your friend, but this is what they expect you to do, Mar. They're expecting you to go to her, and that's why they did it. Don't go along with their plan, cara. Please don't fall into their trap."

I shook my head and left the roof, leaving Scip to his thoughts. I settled down in a chair and fell into an uneasy sleep.

_Scipio  
><em>  
>Maria was mad at me. I knew that, and I understood why. That's why I let her leave me. But, I wasn't going to let her come with us. It was too dangerous, not that she couldn't handle herself, but she was in too much danger.<p>

I followed her after a few minutes, as the night got steadily colder. When I returned to the theatre, I saw Mar curled up on a chair. I sighed and picked her up, bridal style, and took her to my office, where there was a small cot. I put her down and took a chair myself, falling asleep quickly.

The next morning, I left with Maria before the others were awake.

"Please?" she asked.

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"No." She wanted to come with us, and I was strongly against it, still.

"Please Scip-"

"Maria! For the last time, no, you cannot come!" By then, we were at her front door, and as I raised my fist to knock, Marco opened the door and punched me in the stomach. I was winded, but stood up too soon for Marco's taste. He prepared to punch me again.

"Marco!" Maria shrieked, making him pause. He didn't look at her, though.

"Stay away from my sister, _hai fottuto bastardo_," he began.

"Marco!" Maria said again, and he pulled her inside, locking the door in my face. My job was going to be easier an I thought, Marco wouldn't let her out of the house now.

_Maria_

"Marco, why'd you do that?" I asked. He turned on me.

"I saw you leave the house with him, you didn't come back. Why wouldn't I have done that, Mar? As much as it doesn't seem like it, I love my sisters, and I'm going to protect you." Marco pulled me into a hug, which surprised me.

"Protect us from what?" I asked.

"People want to kidnap you, Mar-" he began.

"I know that," I said, cutting him off. He looked at me.

"Okay. I just want you guys safe, and Kat needs someone to look up to, other than her brother," he said, smiling.

"Fine, but you realize you're a complete ass," I said.

"Yeah, I know." Marco smiled. "But, I'm the best ass of a brother you have."

"You're the only ass of a brother I have," I said, smiling. He pulled me in for a hug, and, laughing, I returned my brother's love. I heard Kat bounding down the stairs and I looked up, smiling. She grinned widely, as Marco rarely showed affection to either of us, and wrapped her arms around our legs.

I laughed and picked her up, and then offered to make breakfast. Marco and Kat both said they'd help, and we all ate. I spent most of the day with Kat in the gardens, and later, after we'd eaten dinner, we started watching a movie, and then went to bed. Well, most of us.

**A/N: Mwahaha, another cliffy. And she's finally figured out Scip's the Thief Lord. Fyi, she knew a looong time ago, like, chapter (I-can't-even-remember), but hasn't acted on it. This time, I won't take as long to update, I swear. Thanks to everyone who's stuck with this story, by the way. You're awesome! Cookies all around for reviewers. Like it, hate it, let me know. =D**

~nerdy

Translations (Italian-English):  
><em>polizia - police<em>  
><em>hai fottuto bastardo - you fucking bastard (pardon Marco's French, =P, but, he had reason for it…)<em>


	9. Chapter Nine

**A/N: Yeah, I kinda lied in the last chapter. I'm so sorry, but exams are coming up, and I haven't had time to write anything! But, it's here now, so, we're all good!**

**To my reviewers...**  
><strong>To All: Thank you! From day one, we've had Magpie of Silver (or Magpie in the Shadows), and I thank you for sticking with this. And everyone else, Hedley Girl and ObliviousGardens, sorry if I missed anyone.<strong>

**Disclaimer: I have the one and only ... Scipio Massimo! (again, and he better do a better job this time...)**

**Scipio: *sigh* She doesn't own Thief Lord or any characters you recognize from the works of Cornelia Funke. Happy?**

**Disclaimer: Very. Now, on with the story!**

* * *

><p><em>Scipio<em>

I returned to the Stella after I dropped Maria off at home. I rubbed my stomach gingerly as I knocked. I waited a few moments, and then said: "It's me." Riccio opened the door slowly, and then followed me into the theatre.

"What happened to you, Scip? You look in pain," Bo observed.

"Marco punched me, not a big deal," I assured him. Bo nodded, but the others looked worried. Prop pulled me away from the others.

"Why did he punch you?" he asked.

I sighed. "Because Maria was with us all night. He figured I had taken her to my place for the night," I said.

"Oh."

"So, Scip, what's the plan?" Bo asked, smiling. I ruffled his hair and motioned for them to sit down. I winced as I sat down; Marco sure packed one hell of a punch. I guessed my ribs were bruised.

"Alright, here's what I've been thinking." I started to explain my plan in great detail. The others would jump in if they saw a flaw in the plan, and we eventually had it sorted out. Bo was grinning, as we were letting him come with us.

"So, this is like another stealing mission?" he asked.

"Yes, but we're getting something back that's rightfully ours," I said, casting a quick glance at Prop. He rolled his eyes, but nodded. "Alright, we should start getting ready," I said to the room at large.

"There's one thing I don't know yet, though," Riccio said, looking around at the others. "Who kidnapped Hornet? Who's after Mar?"

I sighed. "Well, and I know you guys will hate to hear this, but," I paused, looking at each of them. "I'm pretty sure my father and uncle are behind it."

Riccio's face darkened and he glared at me. "Why?" he asked.

"They're in a deal with Maria's parents, but it's going badly. They just wants the money, and they're prepared to ransom them off, if they can. They've been targeting Maria, as it will be hard for their people to apprehend Marco, and they keep a close eye on Kat," I explained.

Prop nodded. "Makes sense. So they took Hornet..."

"Because she and Maria are good friends, and they figured, if she tried to help Hornet, they'd get her alone and be able to capture her," I finished. "I overheard them talking about it when I was walking by his office."

Mosca cleared his throat. "Alright. I say we go with Scip's plan. It makes the most sense, and it's the only one we've got. Who's with me?" Prop and Bo both nodded, and we all looked to Riccio.

"I don't want any part of his plans. How do we know his father's not getting him to do this so we can help him?" Riccio asked.

"Listen, Riccio, this isn't about that, this is for Hornet. If you don't want to help her, then fine, stay here, but we're all going," Prop said, stepping forward. "We should start getting supplies and stuff ready. Mosca, how about you take Bo and get whatever we need. Scip, you do whatever you need to to find out where Hornet is. I'll see if Ida and Victor are back in town yet, they'd said they'd be visiting soon, and we'll need their help if they are."

"What about me?" Riccio said.

"I thought you were staying here," Mosca told him, nodding to Bo. They started to leave. "We'll meet back here before we leave?" he asked. Prop and I both nodded.

Riccio looked annoyed. "I said I wouldn't help him, but I want to save Hornet too."

"Fine, you can come with me," Prop said. "Let's go. See you in a bit, Scip." I nodded, and then sat down in the now empty theatre. I needed to find a way to figure out how to wrest the information from either my father or my uncle. I couldn't just ask them, or, could I?

_Boniface_

Mosca and I went through the shops, looking for whatever might be helpful to the mission. Rope, hats, face paint, a fishing rod, two satchels and a bag of paper clips and bobby pins. We also picked up some pencils, a tube of lipstick, four wooden dowels and a pocketknife.

We looked through our purchases, and then took them back to the Stella. None of the others were there yet, so we waited, putting each of the items into either satchel.

"Do you think we missed anything?" I asked Mosca. He shook his head, placing half of the pencils in one satchel, the other half in the other.

"Not that I can think of."

"Good." I smiled, and then put all of the face paint into the second satchel.

_Prosper_

"Where would they be?" Riccio asked as we walked the streets of Venice.

"They might not even be back yet, Riccio," I said, shaking my head. If they weren't, this plan would take much, much longer, and would be much harder to do. "Let's just check the house, to see if they're back yet."

But, there was no sign of them. I looked around a little bit, and then spotted one of the neighbours.

"Excuse me," I said, motioning Riccio over. "Do you know if Signor Victor and Signora Ida are back yet?" The old woman looked between Riccio and I.

"Our parents are good friends with them, and they'd like to know when they'd be back," Riccio added. The woman smiled.

"I believe," she said, pausing to think. "I believe that they should be arriving today. Oh, it will be lovely to see them, won't it?" she asked. I nodded, thinking.

"Thank you very much, signora. We'll just go and tell our parents, then," I said, and we ran back to the Stella, eager to share our news.

_Scipio_

I knocked on the door to the study, and the reply came quickly. "Enter," my father said in a bored voice.

"Hello, father, uncle," I said, greeting them. My father sat up, interested.

"Have you thought about our offer, Scipio?" he asked. I nodded. "And?" I nodded again. My father smiled. "Good, very good."

"Do you have any information?" my uncle asked.

"The orphans are planning a rescue. They're doing all that they can to keep all of the Vargos away from where the girl is," I said. My uncle glanced at my father, worried.

"How did they find out where she is?" he asked. "Where do they think she is?"

"They wouldn't tell me," I said. "All I know is that they know where they're going, and they expect me to help them."

"And you will," my father said, thinking. "How would they have known about the island? They're just kids..."

"What island?" I asked.

"Where we're keeping the girl, off of the south dock of the city," my uncle said impatiently. "It doesn't matter, brother. The more that we have there, the greater the pull for Miss Vargo to leave her brother's protection." He turned to me. "When are they staging this rescue?" he asked.

"Tomorrow night," I told him.

"Procrastinating?" my father asked. "Makes sense. Most children want to get underway right away, which is what we'd expect them to do. But, if it's not until tomorrow, we have much more time. Scipio, you may go, we have planning to do. Stay out of the way until we tell you to. And," he paused, smiling. "Welcome to the conspiracy." I nodded and left the room.

**A/N: A rather short chapter, but it will have to do, as we're getting towards the action now! Mull this over as I write the next chapter: what do they need all of that stuff for? Are Prop and Riccio going to be able to find Ida and Victor? And, Scip has gone to the dark side?**

**Don't worry ladies and gents; the story is far from over. ;) Until next time,**  
><strong>~nerdy<strong>


	10. Chapter Ten

**A/N: Sorry, this came a little late, but, I had exams, so don't blame me, blame school. But, now I have more free time to write for you guys! Yay! *everyone boos* Oh shut up. :P**

**Disclaimer: Since we're all so caught up in the moment, the suspense, it's killing me, aghhh!, I will do the disclaimer. I do not own the Thief Lord, or any of it's characters, or the Hangover, for that matter. Only the plot and my characters are mine. You should all know this by now.**

_Maria_

I had ushered Kat off to bed, and was now watching a movie with Marco. One of his American movies, The Hangover. He found it very funny, but me, not so much. My mind kept wandering to Scip and the orphans, hoping Hornet was alright, hoping that they'd all be fine.

The movie ended, and we both went upstairs to go to bed. I changed and fell asleep almost instantly, today had been rather busy.

* * *

><p>"Maria, Marco! Maria, Marco!" Antoinette, our head maid, called out frantically. I jumped out of bed, glancing at the clock quickly. Two in the morning.<p>

"What is it? What happened?" I asked. Marco was up too, looking out at us from his room.

"It's Katerina," she said.

"What?" Marco and I yelled at the same time, and we both ran to her room. Marco opened the door with so much force, he could have broken it off of it's hinges. I scanned the room and saw no sign of Kat.

"She's gone!" another maid cried. It was only then that I registered what was happening. My little sister was gone. Marco pulled me into his arms, preparing for the breakdown that might come.

"Did someone take her?" he asked, looking around.

"No, we would have known if someone had entered the house."

"So she left on her own," Marco said. "Why?"

I thought. "Bo," I whispered. Marco and the other maids looked at me, and I stood up. "The blonde boy that was here, Boniface. We were talking about their plan, and how Bo wanted to go with them. Kat was there, Marco! She might be going with them too!" I'd explained everything to them, how Scip was the Thief Lord, and what was going on.

"Scipio wouldn't endanger my sisters ever again. I doubt he'd let her go with them," Marco said, his hand balling into a fist.

"Unless he thought it was safer with them than for her to stay somewhere alone," I pointed out.

"_Merda_," Marco swore, and then left the room. I followed after him. He went to his room and began to change in a rush. I ran to my room to do the same, throwing on some jeans, a sweater and my boots. I put my hair in a bun and met Marco in the hall.

"You're not coming," he said.

"Yes, I am. If you recall, she's my sister too, and I'm the oldest, I have to keep an eye on you." He began to protest, but I stopped him with a look.

"Fine."

We ran outside, and Marco looked at me. "Where's their hideout?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes and began to run in the direction of the Stella. When we reached it, I pulled on the doorbell twice. Nothing happened. I knocked, still nothing. Then, I tried the handle, only to find the door locked, and then reached for the key Scip had told me about.

We ran inside, and found our fear confirmed.

The theatre was empty.

_Scipio_

When I returned to the Stella, I found that everyone was already there. It was sundown. I looked to Prop, silently asking him if they'd found Victor and Ida, and he nodded. I then turned to Mosca, who held up one of the two bags he and Bo had filled.

"Good. We leave at midnight. I know where she is."

"Where?" I told them, and they nodded. "You've still got your boat?" Riccio asked.

"Of course, Riccio," I said. "They think we're going tomorrow, but there will still be guards around her, of course. So, here's the plan." I told them about the island's possible security measures, and how we'd get Hornet.

"Scip," Prop began, as everyone started to get things ready. "Thanks for doing this. You know, helping us, from the very beginning, to now. We couldn't do this without you," he said, and I smiled.

"We'll get her back, Prop. I swear." Prop smiled.

Riccio brought Ida and Victor back just before we left. I briefed them on everything that had happened, and told them about what we were going to do. They didn't seem to like our plan, but agreed to it anyway. They knew they couldn't talk us out of it anyway.

Three minutes before midnight, there was a knock on the door. Everyone looked at me, and I went to see who it was. I was met at the door by none other than Katerina Vargo.

"Kat! What are you doing here?" I asked. There was no point trying to hide who I was, if she was here, she already knew.

"I'm coming with you," she said. I brought her inside and locked the doors, thanking God nothing had happened to her on the way here. "You can't send me back home, either, I'll just follow you," she informed me.

I sat her down and croushed in front of her. "Do you know how dangerous that was, Kat? There are people after you, and you were wandering in the middle of the night! Something could've happened to you!" She simply looked at me with her head cocked to the side.

"You look funny in that mask," she said.

"Kat, listen to me. This is going to be dangerous, too dangerous for you," I said, trying to dissuade her.

"Bo's going, why can't I?"

"_Merda. _Kat, they're not after Bo, they're after you and your family. They won't try to catch him, they'll try to catch you."

Kat thought about this for a minute. "If you didn't take me, where would I go?"

I glanced at the others, wondering where this was going. "Back home, where else?"

"You just said that it was too dangerous for me to be outside by myself. Who would take me back home? Not one of the people here, you need them all," she reasoned.

"Then you'd stay here," Prop said. Kat shook her head, and I finally figured out her logic.

"We can't leave her alone, what if they come here?" I said, rocking back on my heels. Kat was grinning, and I knew she had gotten what she wanted. "Fine, but you're going to have to be disguised."

Bo promptly ran up the stairs to the balcony and returned with some of his clothes and a hat. We tucked Kat's hair into the hat and she changed, so she looked similar to a boy. Prop also smudged some dirt on her, to make her less recognizable.

"Does Maria or Marco know you're with us?" I heard Bo ask Kat.

"No. If they did, they wouldn't have let me come." Bo nodded and took Kat's hand. Mosca and Prop each shouldered a pack, and we waited for Ida and Victor to leave the _Stella_ first.

We followed them in procession, Victor and Ida in front, followed by Prop and I, then Kat and Bo, and then Riccio and Mosca taking up the rear. I directed Victor and Ida when they got lost or confused, but other than that, we didn't speak.

"Here, this is it. My boat," I said, and we stopped.

Victor laughed, looking at the craft. "What are we supposed to do with this ... dinghy? It won't hold all of us!" He paused and looked at me. "Why are we even here, all mighty Thief Lord?" Ida rolled her eyes and shushed him.

"In good time, Señor Getz. All in good time," I promised. "After you, Señora Getz." I helped Ida into the boat, and she helped lift Bo and Kat in next. Mosca, Riccio and Prop hopped in after. I gestured for Victor to get in, and he did so, grudgingly. I jumped in lightly and took my place at the motor.

"Ready for this?" I asked. Everyone nodded, even Victor. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"I still love a good sleuthing," he muttered, and Ida laughed, placing a hand on his shoulder. I grinned and started the engine. We managed to fit everyone in, barely. Bo and Kat were squeezed between Prop and Ida, though the two eight-year-olds didn't seem to mind. I noticed Kat's hand was clasping Bo's, and Bo was blushing profusely. I allowed myself a small smile.

"Now, to reveal my master plan..." I began, and everyone turned to listen.

**A/N: Mwahaha! Cliffy! *starts dancing, is hit in the face by a tomato* Sorry, just... I don't know what I was doing there. We're getting into the action now. You don't get to know Scip's plan... yet. Things will start to click and make sense eventually.**

**Please review. There's a lovely little box somewhere below this...**

**Translations** (Italian - English):

_merda - shit_


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Bo: She doesn't own Thief Lord.**

**Me: Thanks Bo. You're such a sweetie.**

**Bo: *:D***

_Maria_

"Where are they, Marco?" I asked, slumping down in one of the old theatre seats and putting my head in my hands. "Where are they?"

Marco took a seat beside me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "When I see that _Thief Lord_ again, I'm going to wring his neck."

I sighed, seeing no point in telling him not to. I thought about where they could've gone. Checking Marco's watch, I saw that it was almost two thirty. Depending on where Hornet had been taken, they'd be back soon. Scip and said something about leaving at midnight.

"Marco, why don't we wait to see if they come back at the canal?" I asked. He shrugged and nodded.

"It seems likely they would. I mean, they'll come back here eventually, but I don't want to wait to punch the pulp out of Scipio Massimo." He spat Scip's name like it had a foul taste.

"Yeah, yeah. Come on." We left the _Stella_ and made our way to the canal. Taking up a place in the shadows of a building, we we're able to watch the canal easily, and not be seen by any late-night wanderers.

"Mar, do you see that?" Marco whispered minutes after we'd settled in.

I could hear the drone of a small engine. "Motor boat?" I guessed, and he nodded. I looked at the boat he was implying, and saw the boat, filled to the brim with nine people.

"I think it's them," I said, seeing the beak of Scipio's mask outlined in the moonlight.

_Scipio  
>two hours earlier<em>

"Does everyone understand the plan?" I asked as we pulled up to the small dock on the island. They all nodded, and the orphans, and Kat, climbed out after me. Ida and Victor stayed in the boat.

"I'm not sure how long we'll be gone, but stall if someone comes along. Make sure you're always able to get away, if you need to," I said, and Ida nodded. Victor was inspecting the engine.

"I'll work on this engine while you're gone. We'll say we had engine problems," he said, and I nodded.

"Good luck," I said with a soft smile.

"You too," Ida whisper-shouted to the group at large. She received a few waves and smiles in return, then I led the others away from the shore. At a clump of trees, we split into groups, Mosca, Bo and Kat, Prop, Riccio and I. Mosca, Bo and Kat would wait until we got into the warehouse, then would follow in disguise.

"You've got what you need?" I asked. Mosca nodded and rummaged through the pack.

"Yep, I've got the right one. Do you need anything else, Prop?" he asked. Prop shook his head, also looking through the pack to make sure.

"Good. We'll see you on the other side," I said, and we set off. I glanced back to see Mosca picking out the face paint, and Kat grabbed Bo's hand. I could see the blush creeping up on his face, and I laughed to myself.

Prop, Riccio and I crept towards the door of the warehouse. Prop and Riccio stationed themselves on either side of the door. Prop took out the wooden dowels and threw one to Riccio, and then a hat. Prop armed himself with the other dowel. I pulled off my mask.

I knocked.

After a moment, the door creaked open, and a man, in his late thirties, looks out. "Master Scipio, we weren't expecting you," he said in a hushed tone. "Your father said that you weren't coming until tomorrow."

"Today. He said that before midnight. Technically, it is tomorrow," I reasoned.

The man stared bemusedly back. "As you say, Master Scipio." He coughed and glanced around. He didn't see Prop or Riccio. "You've come to inspect?"

"Yes," I said and followed the man inside. Prop and Riccio slipped in after me, and hid in the shadows as the door swung closed. I motioned for them to go find Hornet as I kept the man busy. "Has the Vargo girl made any attempt to rescue the orphan?" I asked.

"Not yet, Master Scipio. We're still waiting for intel on her. Apparently, the group of orphans that live with the girl are coming to rescue her tomorrow!" He laughed. "Like that'll happen, eh, Master Scipio?"

I cracked a small smile, and caught sight of Prop moving through the shadows, towards the back of the warehouse. Riccio was mimicking his movements on the other side.

"Where is the orphan?" I asked loudly.

"We've got her in a store room at the back," the man said, loud enough for Prop and Riccio to hear. "Shall I show you the rest of the operation, Master Scipio?"

I nodded, and he led me to the doors. I leaned against one, to open it slightly. The sign for Mosca, Bo and Kat to get in here. The man prattled on about their shipping of goods, which went all over the world. He was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"What now?" the man asked. He opened the door and came face to face with a death mask.

"Surprise," Mosca said, and he hit the man over the head. We bound and gagged him with a length of the rope. Then, Mosca and Bo dragged him to the corner. I grabbed the key from the unconscious man.

Bo and Kat had already made their way to the back of the warehouse. Kat's face was done up in war paint, while Bo had simple black streaks. Mosca's face looked like a skull.

"You did a good job with the paint, Mosc," I said as we followed the two eight year olds.

"Kat did it. She's a wonder with make-up. Mar probable taught her," Mosca said, grinning. I smiled, Maria probably had taught her little sister something about make-up.

"We found her!" Prop called to us, and we hurried over. I checked my watch, is was just after one thirty in the morning.

I handed the key over, and as soon as it was unlocked, Prop was inside, at Hornet's side in an instant. Mosca gave him the pocket knife, and he cut through Hornet's bonds. She groaned but didn't wake up.

"Come on, I have a feeling there'll be more guards coming," I said. It seemed unlikely that there would be only one person standing watch that night. As Prop gathered Hornet into his arms, Bo ran to the door of the room she had been in. Using the lipstick, he wrote a message.

"Tricked you! From, those meddling orphans," I read, and he grinned.

"You know, like that American TV show, Scooby whats-it," he informed me. I ruffled his hair, and Kat was smiling ear to ear.

"Scooby Doo, Boniface," she said, tutting and grabbing his hand. He blushed.

"Let's get out of here," Prop said. This place gives me the creeps." He adjusted his hold on Hornet slightly before walking towards the front of the warehouse.

I poked my head outside first. What I saw didn't bode well for our easy escape. "Riccio, check for a back door, quickly!" He and Mosca darted off to look around.

"Nothing," Mosca informed me when they returned moments later.

"_Merda_. Alright, follow me, quickly now." I slipped out of the warehouse and into the shadows immediately, pulling on my mask as I did so. I motioned for the next people to follow, and Bo and Kat ran out to follow me, holding hands. Prop followed, then Riccio and Mosca. Hornet was still unconscious in Prop's arms.

We moved through the trees and dense brush that surrounded the warehouse, trying to get to the shore. Eventually, I figured out that the only way out was right through the mass of people standing on the beach, talking to Ida and Victor, who were feigning an immobile boat.

"What do we do now, Scip?" Kat asked, eyes wide.

"Let me think a minute," I said. "Mosca, Riccio, can you get us a distraction?" They nodded. "We have to get Hornet back to the boat, and Bo and Kat. If you can distract those people long enough for us to do that, go to the other side of the island, and we'll pick you up."

Riccio grinned. "This ought to be fun, eh, Mosc?" The dark skinned boy laughed quietly.

Suddenly, both tore through the trees and out into the field. "Hey! You people! Yeah, you! Come get us, why don't you?" Riccio called. It had the desired effect, and the group followed the boys racing away from them.

"Go!" I said, and Prop raced to the boat, followed by Bo and Kat, then me. Suddenly, a hand shot out and grabbed Kat. Bo stopped and wheeled around to face the man who had grabbed the girl.

"Let me go!" she squeaked, hitting the man with all her might.

I was about to intervene when Bo jumped forward and kicked the man in the shins. For a gangly orphan boy, Bo had something to his kicks. The man dropped to his knees, and Bo kicked him in the crotch and stomach. He let Kat go, and I gave the man a punch to the face to finish him off.

Kat threw herself at Bo in a hug, but I hauled them off. "Later, but not now. We've got to go rescue Mosca and Riccio," I said. They climbed into the boat, and I started the engine.

"Get low," I said. "We'll circle the island, but I don't what you guys in sight." Everyone in the boat ducked as low as they could.

About a minute from where we had been docked, we found Mosca and Riccio running out of the forest. I pulled in as close as I could, and they waded through the water and hopped in.

"Nice night for a run, eh, Riccio?" Mosca asked.

"Sure was Mosca." The two bantered back and forth for a moment longer as I wheeled the boat around and aimed towards the mainland. Glancing back, I saw the group of people who had been chasing Mosca and Riccio standing on the shore.

"Are they gonna chase us?" Bo asked, one arm around Kat.

I shook my head and then glanced at my watch. Two o'clock in the morning.

The boat ride home consisted of Victor filling me in on what had happened after we'd left the boat, Mosca and Riccio telling the story of their chase twice to everyone on the small boat, and Ida trying to wake Hornet up.

We didn't gain much of a result. "Prosper," she muttered and cuddled deeper into his chest. Prop pressed a kiss to the top of her head, whispering to her. She obviously knew she was with him, as she smiled.

Ida sighed, looking at the couple. "Well, she's no longer unconscious, but she's not awake either. She's sort of in limbo-" she began, and then Prop stiffened, making her fall silent.

Hornet muttered something, and Prosper pulled her closer. "It's alright, Hornet, it's us. You're safe," he said.

Then, she blinked. I slowed the boat, not wanting her to be startled and possibly fall overboard. Hornet blinked twice more, then her eyes went wide. "Prop?" she whispered, and he smiled. "Oh my God!"

Prop pulled her in for a kiss and I sped the boat up again. Bo looked away from his brother and his girlfriend, but Kat sighed happily. She cuddled closer to Bo, who blushed, but held her to him anyway. I smiled and shook my head, focusing on the journey.

"You guys did it!" Hornet exclaimed after she and Prop had said their hellos. "Thank you so much!" She kissed Prop on the cheek, and he blushed.

"Hey, Hornet, we saved you too, where are our kisses?" Riccio asked. Hornet smiled and shook her head exasperatedly. She leaned over and gave Riccio and Mosca a peck on the cheek, ruffled Bo's hair and smiled at me.

"Thank you," she said.

I looked at my watch as we neared Venice. The entire boat trip and taken almost half an hour, it was now two-thirty. Our boat fell into the light of a street lamp, and then out of it just as quickly.

I saw a figure approaching the boat, feminine. "Everyone get down," I whispered, pulling my mask off of my face as we approached the side of the canal. The girl stopped beside the boat, where only I was visible.

"Scipio, what are you doing out so late?" she asked, tucking a piece of brown hair behind her ear, and it was only then that I recognized her. It was Ariana, the daughter of me of my father's clients.

"Ariana, I might ask the same thing," I said, climbing out of the boat and tying it.

She smiled seductively. "Call me Aria. I was out for a midnight stroll, looking for my favourite boy." As she said it, she trailed a finger down my chest. I realized she'd probably been sent to find me, and the others wouldn't be able to get out of the boat with her there.

"I see. Likewise, I was out for a midnight boat ride," I said, smirking.

"Scip, it's been so long since we've seen each other. Aren't you going to greet me like old times?" she asked, and I found my opportunity. Smirking, I pulled her to me and lowered my mouth to hers. She pulled me down even further, drawing out the kiss.

**A/N: Don't hurt me! Well, Hornet's back, and everyone got out unscathed. Mostly. Umm, I'm already working on the next chapter, so it's going to be up soon. And Kat, now you can finish your disclaimer from chapter five!**

**Kat: Oh, yeah! Ahem... ready, Bo?**

**Bo: *blushes* Okay, Kat. Umm, she doesn't own anything you recognize in this fanfic.**

**Kat: Things such as Italy, any Thief Lord characters, like Bo, for example...**

**Bo: *:D***

**Kat:... and she made up me, Maria and Marco, our parents and the servants from her head. And the girl that Scipio kisses! There. Said it!**

**Me: *whistles* Hehe, nice job, you two!**

**Scipio: I said not to put me in such a bad light! Ariana is annoying and clingy. I much prefer Maria.**

**Me: *laughs* We'll see how she feels about that, Señor Massimo. Until next time!**

**~nerdy**

**Translations: **(Italian - English)

_merda - shit_


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Disclaimer: Don't own it. Never have, never will. On with the story!**

_Maria_

Scip climbed out of the boat and spoke to the girl that had arrived. My eyes narrowed when she ran a finger down his chest, and my hands clenched into fists when he didn't push her away. But what really got me was when he kissed her.

Marco was glaring at them, but I put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from barging in and breaking Scipio's jaw, or something of the like.

There was a rustle of movement, and and older man and woman climbed out of Scipio's boat, followed by Riccio, Mosca, Prosper, Bo, Hornet and Kat. I was so relieved to see the two girls that I almost forgot that Scipio was breaking my heart. Almost.

The strange group ran off, and Marco pulled me to my feet to follow them. We left the shadows and Marco rounded the corner after them. I paused and looked back at where Scipio and the girl were. His dark eyes met mine, and they went wide. I felt a single tear roll down my cheek.

I turned to follow Marco and the others as the girl pulled Scipio back to her.

Marco had caught up to the group and was hugging Kat. I ran to meet up with them, hugged Kat, and then hugged Hornet. "I'm so sorry," I whispered. She smiled, and that assured me that she was fine. The older man and woman had disappeared.

"Wait, you were there?" Riccio asked suddenly. I raised my eyebrows, and he gestured back towards the canal. "You saw-"

"Grab the Vargos, the others don't mean anything to us," a gruff voice said, cutting him off. I felt a hand on my shoulder, but this time, I had enough of a warning to use my self defense techniques. I grabbed the man's wrist and executed a perfect judo throw.

Kat screamed, and we all turned to her. Three of them were dragging her away. I ran forward, but another man grabbed me. While I was busy fighting off the man,

Prop had gone to Kat's rescue. He punched one in the nose, and incapacitated the other two. Bo pulled her back to safety.

Marco had his own problems. Five huge men were ganging up on my little brother. Riccio and Mosca picked off two of the men, and Marco managed to shake the other three off.

I motioned for Bo to take Kat back to the _Stella_, and he grabbed her hand and pulled her off. Prosper went to help deal with the men who were relentlessly going at Marco. That's when I felt steel on my throat.

I didn't have time to cry out or react. One moment it was there, the next, it was gone. I turned to see Hornet standing over the man's unconscious body, dusting her hands.

"Thanks," I said.

"No problem," she replied, smiling. As she said it, I kicked out at the man sneaking up behind her, and he fell. "Thank you," she echoed, grinning.

"Just returning the favour!" I said. By then, the boys had dealt with the others, and we ran to catch up with Bo and Kat, who were making their way to the old theatre.

When we were all inside, Prop locked he door as we checked the windows to make sure no one followed us. When we'd all settled down, I checked the clock. Two fifty five.

"We need to get home," I said, and Marco nodded. Kat sighed but agreed, and we bid the orphans goodbye. Kat gave Bo a quick kiss on the cheek, which made him blush, before we left, and then we raced home.

We each had a shower, and I was so relieved that everyone was safe, it was only standing under the hot water that I remembered. "Damn you, Scipio Massimo," I whispered to myself. "Damn you." I decided scolding Kat for sneaking out could wait, as we were all exhausted, physically and mentally.

That morning, during breakfast, someone knocked on the door. Antoinette appeared a few moments later and looked at me. "Scipio Massimo is here to see you," she said.

I grimaced. "What does he want?" I asked, rinsing my bowl of cereal and putting it in the dishwasher.

She sensed what was going on due to the tension in my voice. "I don't know. Come with me a minute," she said, and I stood to follow her. Scipio was standing in the foyer, dressed in black jeans and a nice shirt. I was still in my pajamas. He smiled when he saw me, but Antoinette led me right past him, and his face fell.

"Maria!" he called out in an attempt to stop me, but I kept walking. "Maria, please listen to me!" he tried again, and I wheeled around to face him.

"Listen to you?" I asked incredulously. "First you put my sister in danger, your family wants to hold mine hostage for money, _and_ you string me along when you obviously don't care about me, and now you ask me to listen to you? Sorry, Scipio, not going to happen." I began to walk away, but he grabbed my arm.

"Maria-" he began, but stopped at the look I gave him. "I - I'm sorry."

I laughed, but there was nothing humourous about it. "You're sorry. Of course you are."

"Maria, if you'd just listen to me. It's not what it looked like-"

I narrowed my eyes, raised my hand and slapped him across the face. Then, I turned and walked away. He didn't try to stop me this time. "Antoinette, please let Marco know that _he's_ fair game," I said, loudly enough for Scipio to hear. My voice broke on game. When I turned, he was backing out of the door, eyes on me.

"Mar, _cara._.." he began, looking guilty. Then, he turned and walked quickly outside, and I collapsed. I heard loud footsteps, and Marco scooped me into his arms and carried me upstairs while I sobbed into his chest.

"If I ever see that bastard again..." Marco muttered, planting a kiss on my forehead and leaving me for a while. Marco may be protective, but can't handle seeing us cry.

Kat arrived a while later with two cups of hot chocolate. She sat on the edge of my bed, and she told me all about the adventure she, Mosca and Bo had had. Whenever she mentioned Bo's name, her face lit up.

"So, you and Bo, huh?" I asked, elbowing her gently. Her cheeks turned pink. "You two are too sweet," I said, and she flushed a darker shade of red.

Kat told me about their plan, and how they'd dressed her up as a boy to help disguise her. She explained how she had done the face painting, and they had snuck up on the man guarding Hornet. She told me how they'd rescued Hornet, and how Mosca and Riccio had been a distraction so they could get Hornet to the boat.

In return, I told her about what Marco and I had done, how we had gone looking for her, and then waited for them to return. We swapped stories and tales, laughing, and I realized how awesome a little sister she was.

I thanked her for the hot chocolate, and followed her downstairs to clean up.

Later that day, the doorbell rang. I answered it to see Prosper, Hornet, Riccio, Mosca and Bo. Kat gave Bo a big hug, and we spent the day with them, Bo and Kat talking animatedly, Marco, Riccio, Mosca and Prosper having a heated discussion about something, and Hornet and I catching up.

"Hornet, again, I'm so sorry that you were-" I began, but she silenced me with a hand.

"Mar, just shut up. It wasn't your fault. Can we please talk about something else? I'm completely fine, and I'm getting over the shock of being kidnapped. Thank you for your concern, good day." Her face was serious for a moment, then she broke out in fits of giggles. I couldn't help it, I laughed too. My concern for her was still there, but she had made me realize that whatever I said now couldn't change what happened. She was here and well, and that's all that mattered.

"So, Mar, how're _you_ holding up?" she asked, suddenly serious again, and I knew what she was talking about. I'd avoided talking about Scipio with Kat and Marco, but Hornet knew him better than anyone else, and there was no avoiding it now.

"Fine, I guess. He stopped by today to try to talk to me," I said. Hornet scoffed.

"I have no idea why he did that. Either it was to help us or to help himself, it was completely impulsive, and slightly moot point. I know for a fact that she's one of his father's client's daughters. Who's freaking side is he on?" she asked. "Guys..."

I couldn't help but crack a smile. "How are you and Prop doing?" I asked.

Hornet rolled her eyes and smiled. "He hasn't let me out of his sight since last night. He's usually an arm's reach away, and if we're sitting, he's got an arm around me." She sighed. "Not that I blame him, or anything. I mean, if he'd been kidnapped, I'd be doing the same thing, probably. So, we're alright."

"Good. I couldn't stand it if anything happened between you two," I said, smiling.

Hornet laughed. "Thanks, Mar." She paused, looked around, and then leaned closer, like what she was going to say next was a big secret. "Have you seen Bo and Kat?" she asked, grinning.

I nodded. "They're too sweet. Every time I mention Bo, Kat's face lights up."

"Bo blushes when we say something about Kat." She paused, thinking. "You know, he saved her from one of the big guys who tried to get at her on the island."

"Really?" I asked, thinking about how tiny Bo was, compared to the men I had encountered.

Hornet nodded, laughing. "He sure did. Scip told us about it," she said, casting a glance at me. I nodded, urging her to continue. "Kicked his shins and all. The boys have been teaching him how to get out of situations such as that."

"So they've been teaching him how to fight," I said, smiling. Hornet laughed, shrugging.

_Scipio_

After trying to visit Maria, I went to the _Stella_, hoping to see Hornet and make sure she was alright, and to say hello to the others. I was surprised to find that they weren't there. They were probably out in Venice, and there was no point trying to track them down.

So, I went back home. My father and uncle were having a heated discussion about something - probably Hornet's rescue - when I entered the house.

"Scipio!" my father yelled. I sighed and walked towards the two men. "The orphan was rescued last night," he said, the volume down, but the meaning still clear. "And we have an interesting account from the island."

"Is that so, Father?" I asked, sounding mildly interested.

My uncle narrowed his eyes. "You were there, Scipio," he snarled.

I pretended to think for a moment. "That I was, Uncle." Neither man spoke, so I continued. "I had been asked to go to the island previously to check up on the state of the girl, and to see if the Vargos had made any attempt or move to save her, isn't that so?"

My father's jaw worked as he thought over my words. "You helped her escape, Scipio."

I feigned surprise. "Oh, that?" Moments after, my cheek was stinging. I let go of the act and rounded on them. "Yes, I helped her escape, she's one of my friends, Father, Uncle," I spat.

"That was all a ruse?" my father asked.

"They don't call me the Thief Lord for nothing," I said, then spun on my heel and walked to the doors. Just as I reached them, someone knocked. I opened the door to see Ariana, who had a smug look on her face.

"Hi, Scip," she said, smiling and taking a step closer.

"It's Scipio, Ariana," I said, and then walked past her. She looked hurt, and she wasn't giving up easily. She raced after me.

"But Scipio!" she called. "What about last night?" she asked.

I groaned inwardly and turned to face her. "That didn't mean anything." I continued to walk, but she kept pace with me. I didn't realize it, but my feet were traveling a familiar path.

"What do you mean, it didn't mean anything?" she asked, trying to stop me.

"I mean, it didn't mean anything, Ariana," I said. She grabbed my arm, and I stopped. That's when I realized where I'd walked to, right under Maria's balcony.

_Maria_

Voices drifted through my open window, one very familiar. Hornet and I both stopped talking to listen.

"I mean, it didn't mean anything, Ariana." I looked at Hornet, and she was looking back at me, eyes wide. _Scipio_. We moved to the balcony, and I could see Scipio and the brunette from the night before standing just below my balcony. She looked like she was going to cry, and Scipio looked annoyed. I also noticed a hand print on his cheek.

"Then why'd you do it?" the brunette, Ariana, cried, looking heartbroken.

Scipio sighed. "My friends were in that boat, and I had to get them out without anyone noticing. You were in the way, so I distracted you." My eyes widened at the same time Ariana's did. "I have no feelings for you in any way."

Hornet leaned over. "He sure knows how to let a girl down nice and gentle," she whispered sarcastically. I rolled my eyes.

"But, Scipio, what about before?"

"That was before, this is now. I'd forgotten all about you, to be honest." Scipio shrugged.

Ariana swallowed. "Who is she?" she asked. Scipio raised his eyebrows. "Who is this new girl?" she clarified.

"Maria Vargo," he replied, with no hesitation.

Ariana wiped her eyes, then smirked. "The same Vargo you're helping your father to kidnap?" she asked. Hornet and I looked at each other, and I moved away from the balcony, slamming the door shut.

_Scipio_

The slamming of a door caused me to look up. Maria's once open balcony door was now closed, still shaking from the force of being shut. _'Damn,'_ I thought. _'Damn, damn, damn!'_

"I'm not working with my father, Ariana," I said. "Never have, never will."

She scoffed. "If you say so, Scipio. See you around," she said, then walked away. I looked back up at Maria's balcony, only to see Hornet looking back down at me, her eyes narrowed. I knew she had heard our conversation, and there was a good chance Maria had as well.

I tried to convey to her that I had taken no part in her kidnapping, or helped my father in any way. Either she ignored it, or didn't get my message. I guessed she had ignored it.

**A/N: Well, Scipio's not a lying, cheating idiot, but, he's not yet back in Hornet's or Maria's good books. He never was in Marco's, but, that kid doesn't trust too easily.**

**Marco: Meh.**

**Scipio: I'm not a bad person!**

**Me: Shut up. Sooo, the next update won't be as quick, but I'm on a roll, so all of my other stories are on hold until this one has that lovely little word - "complete" - next to it. Ta!**

**~nerdy**


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Disclaimer (by Hornet): As she's too busy writing...**

**Me: mmphf**

**Hornet: I'm doing the disclaimer! She doesn't own us... But we know that by now.**

_Maria_

Hornet and I decided not to tell the others about what we had overheard. They were all happily chatting about what they had done, and we thought it best not to ruin the image of their friend.

The orphans stayed for dinner, and then went home before it got too dark. I warned them that if any of them got kidnapped, it was their own fault now.

They all laughed, except for Prosper, who put an arm around Hornet.

Our parents returned a few days later. Marco, Kat and I decided against telling them about what had happened while they were gone. It would only worry them, though I did hint that I was uncomfortable around the Dottier, and Kat backed me up by nodding her head vigorously.

"Has he threatened you?" Dad asked when we brought it up over dinner.

I shook my head. "Not personally, no. I just..." I trailed off, and my parents shared a look.

Not long after that, mum and dad announced that they were ending the deal with the Massimos, and that we were going on a vacation for a few weeks, returning to Venice for the last week before I left for university, Marco for his last year of secondary school, and Kat to grade five.

I walked with Kat to the _Stella_, Marco remained at home to Skype his girlfriend. When we arrived, Prosper greeted us warmly, and took us inside. Kat gravitated to Bo, who she hugged. His cheeks flared up, and he hugged her back.

"Just coming to say goodbye for a while," I said, while Kat let go of Bo to start hugging the others. "Our parents think we need more 'bonding time', so we're going off to Canada to visit our aunt."

"You're going all the way to Canada?" Hornet asked. "Wow, nice bonding time. Where does your aunt live?"

"Vancouver," I said, shrugging.

We said our goodbyes, and told them Marco said goodbye too, and we left. Or, rather, I left, but Bo had grabbed Kat and gave her a peck on the lips. Her face was bright red when we left the theatre.

_Scipio_

I knocked on the door to the _Stella_, and I could hear them laughing. I opened the door quietly, and found the gang of orphans all sitting around, teasing Bo, who's face was bright red.

"Oh, hey, Scip!" Prosper greeted me. Everyone else smiled warmly, everyone but Hornet. Her eyes narrowed and her mouth was set in a grim line. I doubted that she, or Maria, had told the others about what they had heard.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

Riccio snorted. "Bo just kissed his _girlfriend_ goodbye!" he said, laughing. Bo's face turned a darker shade of red.

I plopped down beside Bo. "Ah, you've finally caught an interest in the ladies, have you?" This caused the boys in the room to laugh. "Who's the lucky girl?"

"Kat," Hornet said, looking and sounding annoyed.

This caught me off guard. "Kat? Wait, so, where are they going?"

Hornet grinned smugly. "Canada. They were just here to say goodbye." I stood up and quickly exited the theatre, confused expressions following me. Hornet was right behind me, though, and ran to catch up.

"Scipio _cazzo _Massimo!" she swore at me, grabbing my arm.

"I need to talk to her, Hornet!" I protested.

She stopped trying to tug on my arm, and put her hands on her hips. "So, you need to talk to the girl who you and your father _tried _to kidnap, but not your friend, who you've known for two years, who you _helped_ kidnap? Wow, Scipio. You've not only broken Maria's heart, you broke mine too." She turned to walk away.

"Hornet! Wait!" I called, not really knowing what to say.

She stopped, but didn't look at me. "I looked up to you, Scip. We all did. You were like my older brother I never had. But, for the second time in our lives, everything you said to us was a lie. Every. Single. Thing." She started to walk again.

"Hornet! I wasn't in with my father and uncle!" I tried to call after her. "I didn't have anything to do with your kidnapping, or Maria's attempted kidnapping! If you'd just hear me out-"

"You lost that chance a long time ago." Then, she was gone, and I heard the click of the door as it locked.

My heart sank. Maria hated me, and now Hornet did too? I didn't know if I could handle that...

I slowly walked home, hoping to figure out a plan in which I could sort things out with Hornet, while Maria was gone. That is, if she didn't tell the others what she'd overheard too. That would be more problematic.

"Scipio!" I closed my eyes and breathed out slowly, shutting the door behind me.

"Yes, Father?" I asked, still not turning to him.

"The Vargos just cancelled the deal with us. Any explanation why?" he asked.

I turned and shrugged. "I don't know, Father. Maybe they found out who was behind all those attempted kidnappings."

I strode past him and up to my room, leaving him staring at the spot I had been standing in. _'Didn't expect that, eh?'_

**A/N: I felt I needed to finish this chapter for you guys! A little short, but we're nearing the end and I want to upload the last chapter really soon! (I already have it written! Just not the chapters in between...)**

**Please review!**

**~nerdy**

**Translations **(Italian - English)

_cazzo - fucking_


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**© Cornelia Funke**

**A/N: OMG I'M SO SORRY! I really am, I apologise for being so MIA. Thanks to everyone who's kept with this story, and reviewed. I'm going to try to finish this before writing any more one-shots or finishing my other multi-chaps. I pledge this to you! (any Enchanted readers, never fear, another chapter will also be coming soon, and I'll be sure to finish Running soon)**

**This chapter is for everyone who asked for more, and a shout out to WelshWeevil, and evanova for telling me to get my butt in gear.**

* * *

><p><em>Hornet<em>

Tears were streaming down my face as I walked back to where the boys were. They all stopped talking, but I didn't say anything to them. I just kept walking, and I could feel their gaze on me as I climbed the stairs. I sat down on my bed, staring out the window.

A few minutes later, I heard footsteps behind me. Expecting that it was Prosper, I didn't turn, but was surprised when Bo sat down beside me.

"You okay?" he asked.

I decided to just be truthful to him now; he was old enough to figure things out anyway. "No, not really."

He was silent for a moment. "Is it because of Scipio?"

I just nodded.

"I know why you're mad at him."

I looked at the eight-year-old. "How? We didn't tell anyone."

Bo smiled weakly. "I was there when you and Mar were talking to him, at her house. I'd just walked in to ask when you guys wanted dinner, and neither of you noticed me. I heard everything."

"Oh, Bo..." I gave him a hug.

He gave me a quick hug back, then stood up. "Hornet, do me a favour."

"Sure, what?" I asked.

"Don't be sad until I get back." Then, he left.

* * *

><p><em>Scipio<em>

Neither my father or uncle bothered me for the rest of the day. They were probably trying to figure out alibis and such to smooth things over with the police, if the Vargos pressed charges.

I had been sitting in my room in silence for the past hour, trying to figure out what to say to Hornet, to try to gain her trust, and her love as a sister back. As I flopped back onto my bed on my back, groaning, my window popped open.  
>I sat up again as Bo plopped onto my bedroom floor. "Bo?"<p>

He grinned and pushed his blonde hair out of his face. "In the flesh."

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Hornet."

I didn't say anything and he continued.

"I came of my own accord. She was crying."

My heart plummeted. "Damn..."

"You really messed things up, Scip."

I sighed. "I know Bo. I want to make things right, but she won't talk to me."  
>Bo sighed too. He'd grown up so much over the past few years. Sometimes, I wished that the merry-go-round had worked, so that I could've been an adult to take care of them all. But they knew how to take care of themselves. They didn't need me anymore.<p>

"Scip, I can probably help you," Bo broke into my thoughts.

"How?"

"Just trust me."

So I did.

* * *

><p>Bo took me to the abandoned theatre they were inhabiting again. He rang the bell and Riccio answered. He greeted us with a smile and closed the door behind us. Mosca and Prosper waved when they saw us, but Bo led me onward, up the stairs to where Hornet was.<p>

She looked around when she heard footsteps and smiled when she saw Bo. Her smile faded when she saw me behind him. My stomach clenched when I saw the tracks of her tears on her cheeks.

"What's he doing here?" she asked.

Bo looked up at me, the smiled at Hornet. "I asked him to come."

She wiped her eyes and stood up, making to leave. Bo stood in her way. "Bo, move. I don't want to talk to him."

"I know, but I want him to talk to you." He took Hornet's hand and gave it a little tug. She gave in, allowing the little boy to pull her back towards me. "Scip wants to make things better with you, Hornet, because you're his only sister and he can't stand having you mad at him. He says it was a misunderstanding, and if you'd at least listen to him, he'd be happier. You don't have to believe him, but that's what family does, isn't it Hornet? Don't we believe each other?"

Tears were welling in Hornet's eyes, and I blinked a few times to stop the tears threatening to form in mine. Bo's speech had been so impassioned, it had caused us both to be taken aback by how much he had grown up.

"Yes, Bo, that's what family does." Hornet gave him a hug, and I tousled his hair. He then climbed back down the stairs and out of sight.

"Well?" Hornet asked, turning to me.

"Sit down," I said, and then I began, right from the beginning.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**© Cornelia Funke**

**Guys, this has turned into the last chapter! O.O I wasn't expecting it either... whoops! :D enjoy!**

_Maria_

I picked up my guitar and walked out onto my balcony. People walked along the street in different directions, tourists and locals alike. I sat down and strummed chords as I people-watched, a habit I'd only picked up this summer.

I saw a man holding a bouquet of flowers, obviously waiting for someone. He looked sad, and as I watched, he sighed and checked his watch. A no-show date, I assumed. Then, a woman carrying several shopping bags accidentally ran into him.

Her shopping fell to the ground, but the man caught her before she could. Their eyes met and they both blushed.

People skirted the scene, but the man knelt and began helping the woman return her shopping into the bags. Once it was all back, she thanked him, glanced at the flowers he'd dropped when helping her, then left, looking sad. He looked after her, and I could see his heart breaking.

As if he could feel my eyes on him, he looked up at where I sat. "Go after her!" I said, smiling softly. I wasn't sure if he'd heard me over the babble in the streets, but he seemed to have gotten my message. Checking his watch one last time, he started running after the woman, flowers in hand.

I sighed. In the weeks away in Canada, I'd done a lot of thinking. About my friends here, those in England who I probably wouldn't be seeing again, about love, and about Scipio.

Scipio. I hadn't seen him since Hornet and I had overheard him in the street, though he had tried to come and see me several times. I had no wish to see him, and he hadn't tried to come back since Marco had gotten involved.

I struck a wrong chord on my guitar, and I was brought out of my thoughts. Music always calmed me, but it wasn't today. Too many bad memories were running through my mind.

Scip kissing that brunette, Scip and his father trying to kidnap Kat and I, and then kidnapping Hornet, Scip's lies, and his fake heroism. I put my guitar down, leaning it against the railing, and clenched my hands into fists.

I stared down at my hands, knuckles white and my fingernails digging into my palms. Then, I was struck my a thought; Scip's hands on mine, his fingers laced between mine.

I shook my head, knowing I was supposed to be mad at him, but the thought wouldn't go away and it was soon joined by more. When he reached up and gently brushed the hair out of my face, his eyes looking into mine, his lips...

I got lost in my thoughts.

_Scipio_

So now Hornet knew. She knew everything. But how could I explain it to Mar? That I had only kissed that girl to work out my plan, or that I wasn't actually working with my father and uncle to kidnap her, her family or her friends.

I didn't blame her. I blamed myself. I had been stupid, I should've told her everything from the beginning.

I clicked next on my iPod, and a song I'd never listened to came on. _Lazy Lovers_, by Theo Tams. Whoever he was. I decided to listen to it, and as I listened, I let my feet wander.

_"Though there may be sadness here, and you could nearly drown in fear, and the world conspires again to pull you down. Bottled up in sentiment, as though the bets were never meant, and the weaker ones are no where to be found._

_"We will not become those lazy lovers, lazy lovers, no. We will not become those lazy lovers, lazy lovers, no."_

_Maria_

My thoughts wandered to all the good times I'd had with Scip. The sunset at the canal, his rescues, all the times with the orphans. As I thought, I remembered the night of Hornet's rescue. When Scip had seen me, he looked scared. Scared for me. Scared for my safety. He was still the Scip I loved.

I closed my eyes and put my earphones in. Pressing play, I realized I had been in the middle of a song.

_"Well no one says how hard it gets, never taking time to rest, so many ways for us to come undone. To fight for something meaningful, to live for something wonderful, it's easier to say than to be done._

_"We will not become those lazy lovers, lazy lovers, no. We will not become those lazy lovers, lazy lovers, no, no, no."_

_Scipio_

_"I may not know much, but I know this for sure, my baby. I may not know much, but I know this for sure, my baby. Well I may not know much, but I know this for sure, my baby."_

I realized where my wanderings had taken me: right to Maria's house. I looked up and saw her sitting on her balcony, earphones in. In that moment, I knew what I had to do. I picked up a rock and threw it up to her. It hit with a soft noise, but loud enough for her to hear. She looked down at me, and I held her gaze.

_"We will not become those lazy lovers, lazy lovers, no. We will not become those lazy lovers, lazy lovers, no."_

_Maria_

_"We will not become lazy lovers, lazy lovers, no, no, no. We will not become lazy lovers, lazy lovers, no, no, no, no. We will not become lazy lovers, lazy lovers, no."_

Scip was still standing there, staring at me. Then, he pulled out his iPod and let me hear what was playing.

_"We're walking into casualty, give into human frailty, won't walk away from love when things get tough."_

He sighed, put it away and looked up at me again. "I'm sorry, Maria. That's all I can say. I'm so sorry." Then, he turned and walked away.

"Scip!" He didn't turn, and I turned and ran downstairs, out of the house and down the road. I caught sight of his back and ran to him. "Scip?"

He turned and met my gaze. It was just us, standing in the middle of the crowded street.

"I'm sorry too," I said. "For not believing you. I should have, but I didn't, and I don't know why-" He cut me off by kissing me gently.

Someone wolf-whistled, and a couple of people cheered. I saw the man who I had seen earlier, that had helped the woman with her groceries. He was smiling at me, hand in hand with that woman, who was holding the flowers.

"Mar," Scip said, bringing me back to the present. "I know this is complicated, but hell, life's complicated, _cara_. That's just how things are. And for this to work, we need to forgive each other for whatever we might have done."

"Scip," I began, but he cut me off.

"We're both going to school soon, and I know it'll be hard, but-"

"Scip, we can make it work," I said, smiling.

He smiled too. "Good, 'cause I've realized two things."

"What?"

"Well, for one, I never formally asked you out," he said, grinning. I rolled my eyes, laughing.

"Honestly, Scip? It doesn't matter, we've established something here," I said, and he laughed and gave me a hug.

"Alright, I won't." I gave him a kiss, and someone "aww"ed. Scip took my hand and we walked down to the canal. The sun was setting, and I sighed. This would be one of my last nights in Venice.

"What's the second thing?" I asked.

He smiled and wrapped an arm around me. "Mistakes make life what it is, don't they, _cara_?" I nodded. "Without mistakes, we most definitely wouldn't be here right now. I might not even know you."

"You might," I said. "But you're right."

We stood there for a moment, silent, and then Scip kissed me. "Thank God for mistakes," he whispered.

**AN: There are tears in my eyes :') Not really, but WOOOOOOO! The ending to my first story! I feel so accomplished! I really hope you guys enjoyed it, and thank you for sticking with this story even though I sometimes don't update for (ahem) months at a time.**

**I know it's cheesy, but cheesy is good :) It's been a real work in progress, and I've had that last bit written for years. I got the idea when listening to that song when I was probably 8. It's the inspiration for this story!**

**I just want to thank you again for being with me, giving me feedback, and just reading my stories!**

**UPDATE: I'm in the process of a new chapter for both Running and Enchanted, so stay tuned! :)**

**Love yo' faces! (stole that from Philip DeFranco ;D)**

**~ nerdy o.O**


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